The Lillian Contract
by Kmm1128
Summary: For their help in stopping the civil war, the Jaridians are about to sign a treaty with humanity, but there are some who do not want peace.
1. Chapter 1

The Lillian Contract

Chapter One: Baby Blues

It had been a month since the events that had unfolded on Jaridia. Construction of an entire wing of barracks for Tay'jay's Espelons to stay was complete, and the ANA was keeping a sharp eye on the priests' and the Synod's activities. Hubble had just barely managed to help Liam cover for his absence from work. Liam had noticed that Zo'or and T'than had been watching him much closely ever since his return from Jaridia. Therefore, Liam had to lessen the amount of time he spent with the ANA and the resistance. For his and the resistance's safety, he gave Renee total authority over resistance activities. When Renee could not attend to her duties, command was then given to Da'an, which did not hold well for several resistance fighters. However, considering the amount of Taelons and Espelons now working for the resistance and the ANA, this chain of command was both appropriate and necessary.

Link had finished moving his business and his apartment over to Washington, DC. Ariel needed weekly check-ups to make sure that her body was adapting well to the atmosphere. The transition had been difficult for all of them. In the first three weeks, Ariel was in and out of Curzon's office due to fevers and illnesses. It got so bad that Da'an began considering returning her to Jaridia and giving her to Geris. Miraculously however, Ariel's system began to adapt. She still had to have frequent check-ups with Dr. Curzon. That was where Da'an and Link were right now.

"Oh, wow," Dr. Curzon said when Ariel's lab results came back.

"What is it?" Da'an and Link asked simultaneously.

"You two have a perfectly healthy baby," Dr. Curzon said giving them the chart.

Da'an and Link stared at each other. "What!"

"Heart-rate, EEG, EKG, blood tests—everything's normal," Dr. Curzon exclaimed.

"How is that possible?" Link asked.

"I don't know," Dr. Curzon said, thinking carefully. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a miracle."

"Well, I'd to keep it that way, if you please," Link said. "I've finally been able to concentrate when I work now."

"Maybe Ta'lay knows," Dr. Curzon said. "She seems to have more knowledge of Jaridian anatomy than I do."

"'She?'" Da'an asked.

"What?"

"You called Ta'lay a 'she,'" Da'an noted.

"Oh, well so what? Ta'lay's asexual. Who cares what I call him…or her?" Dr. Curzon said.

Link shrugged. "Whatever peels your banana, lady. Is there anything we can do to keep her like this that you know of?"

"Not that I know of. I'll call Ta'lay and ask her—him—to come here."

"You'd better not," Da'an said.

"Why?"

"Because Ta'lay has been working endlessly on developing formulas for the Espelons to help them adapt to Earth's atmosphere, and he's still doing so."

"I think he can step out of his office for just five minutes."

"Uh…all right, but do not say I didn't warn you," Da'an said looking down at Ariel.

Dr. Curzon dialed Ta'lay's number on her global. No one ever picked up the other end.

"Huh. No answer," Dr. Curzon said. She started dialing again, much to Da'an's objections.

Someone finally picked up the receiver. "What…do you want!"

"Uh…Ta'lay? Is that you?"

"No, this is Winston Churchill returned from the grave thanks to a very brilliant Taelon scientist. What is so bloody important that I had to halt my research and pick up the phone!"

"What did I tell you?" Da'an said, snickering.

"Who is that laughing! Is that Da'an!" Ta'lay yelled.

Link and Dr. Curzon joined in.

"Well, I'm sorry I interrupted your work, Ta'lay," Dr. Curzon said trying to regain her posture, "but Da'an and Link are here with Ariel and they need a second opinion on Ariel's test results."

"What's the problem?"

"Nothing. That's the problem," Link said. "We're trying to figure out why Ariel's not getting sick anymore."

Ta'lay blushed. "Da'an…I am going to come over there and strangle you if you did not tell Dr. Curzon about Ma'ri."

Da'an groaned.

"Who?" Dr. Curzon asked.

"Oh yeah," Link said. "There's this fluid the Taelon secondary parents used to use to give their children sustenance in their infant years. It's…well—Da'an I really don't want to say this."

"Breast milk, Dr. Curzon," Da'an said bluntly.

"What?"

"An Espelon name Ma'ri and I have been feeding Ariel a Taelon nourishment formula, which is the closest thing we come towards…breast milk," Da'an explained.

"Where do you think Taelon plasma comes from, dearie? It is a substitute for the formula. The nutrients cool her temperature and help her adapt to Earth's atmosphere," Ta'lay explained. "We came up with the solution when we learned how well the plasma worked. We wanted to give her something with the same benefits and without the toxic residue. Is that quite all?"

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Dr. Curzon asked Da'an.

"Because it had not been working for the past two weeks, and I thought you knew," Da'an said glaring at the picture on Dr. Curzon's global. "Ta'lay was supposed to tell you."

"Balderdash! You were supposed to tell her, Da'an!"

"I was not! Link was there. You remember, right Link?"

"Yeah, I distinctly remember us establishing that you were gonna tell Curzon, Ta'lay," Link said.

"Oh, the obvious husband bias," Ta'lay groaned.

"We're not married, Ta'lay," Link said.

"You might as well be," Ta'lay shot back. "Listen, I told you that I was buried in working on this supplement for the Espelons. I did not have time to tell her, and I certainly do not have time to go there now to check on a whining little infant. Next time you want a second opinion, read a Dr. Spock book!"

The receiver slammed on the other side and the picture went out.

"I tried to tell you," Da'an said. "Ta'lay is unusually focused on anything he does. Whenever he is working, he sends everyone out of the room he does not need, locks the doors and blinds the windows if he has to in order to rid himself of any interference. He probably would have turned off his phone if he were not concerned about the Espelons' health. Of course any unsuspecting fool who does interrupt his research is in for a very rude and abrupt awakening. He has always been that way. Ne'eg was too. He probably taught it to Ta'lay."

"Well, this has been enlightening," Dr. Curzon said. "Keep giving her the…whatever you call it. But, I think Ariel may have been getting sick from a bad reaction in her metabolism to the other foods you give her. What else have you been feeding her?"

"Usual stuff," Link said. "Baby food, canned fruits—stuff like that."

"She eats everything," Da'an said. "It seems like she never gets full."

"Yeah, we're not entirely certain what to feed her, so we give her whatever she'll take," Link said, "which has been, uh, baby food and canned fruits."

"Did you give her anything other than that like milk, sugar, candy, meats, or…ice cream?"

"We try not to give her too much sugar," Da'an said. "She does not like candy. She likes ice cream, though."

"And milk too. Soy milk, if you can believe that," Link said. "For a while, we were giving her soy milk with Taelon plasma in it, but we stopped after she took the…breast milk—God, I hate saying that!"

"Maybe she's been having an allergic reaction to some of the foods you've been giving her," Dr. Curzon said. "I want to give Ariel an allergy test."

Link's heart jumped. "Wait. Is that the thing where you poke her with a bunch of different needles?"

"Well, maybe back in the stone age," Dr. Curzon said. "We have methods we can use without giving her the needles now if pain's what you're worried about."

"Uh, is it even remotely possible that those tests are all wrong?" Link asked nervously, trying to get Ariel out of having to take an allergy test.

"I doubt it, but I can test her again if you're worried."

"How long will all of this take?" Da'an asked.

"About fifteen minutes—thirty at the most," Dr. Curzon said. "If I test her again, it could be longer."

Da'an pulled Link in. "Maybe you should go. You have to go to Boston in an hour right?" she whispered.

"Yeah, and I haven't finished packing," Link said. "You sure you're cool with this?"

"I can ask her to test again if you're worried."

"Please do. I had an allergy test when I was twelve, and I've never been the same since. I'll see you both when I get home. Hopefully." He took Ariel and bounced her a little. Then he kissed her and said goodbye to her. He kissed Da'an's cheek, told Dr. Curzon goodbye, and left Ariel cooing and squealing with delight in Da'an's arms.

"He's quite the family man," Dr. Curzon said.

"He did not even want to have children," Da'an said. "Neither of us did."

"You two will do fine," Dr. Curzon assured. "Let's get her tested."

"Uh, Dr. Curzon, I would be much more comfortable if you checked the results of your original tests again."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of allergy tests too."

"No, it is not that. I am just concerned that with conducting so many tests on Ariel at one time, it is possible that you may have missed something. I…do not want to give her anything unnecessary. She's been through quite enough these last few months."

"All right. It's your call."

Da'an sighed with relief, and she wondered if both Link and Ariel were doing the same.

* * *

Da'an returned to Link's apartment half an hour later. Link had already packed his suitcase and was ready to go.

"Iron."

"What?"

"Her Jaridian physiology has given her an iron deficiency. That was why she kept getting sick. Dr. Curzon's blood test missed it the first time."

"What did I tell you?"

Da'an chuckled.

"So what? We have to start giving her green vegetables and junk?" Link asked.

"And drinks with an iron supplement, until she is mature enough to use pills."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad, unless she hates broccoli."

"Actually if we get her started on it now, it should not be a problem."

"Well it sure beats giving her a pill. That's all I have to say."

"You have been taking all of this quite well," Da'an said.

"She's not that bad," Link said stroking the baby's cheek. "I figure as long as it's just her, we can support her."

"I wish there was more I could contribute."

"Hey, you're with her more than me, you take her to all her check-ups, and you do all the feeding and junk. I think you contribute plenty."

"Are you still coming back on Thursday?" Da'an asked him.

"Looks like it unless the company has a change of heart and settles," Link said. "I never imagined for a case this big that I'd be working for on the side of the company and not the plaintiff family. But I think I've told you all this already."

"You did. You have been working on it for over three months."

"Hmm. For some reason, it don't seem like that right now. Well, take care of little Ariel," Link said, "and take care of yourself. I hear it's getting pretty rough over there."

"More like slow," Da'an said laying Ariel on the couch and sitting beside her. "Link, I have been thinking about something for a long time."

"Tell me."

"It is about the priests. When I went to Moonbase to rescue Mi'en, one of them spoke to me."

"What'd he say?"

"It is not so much what he said as what he was thinking—feeling. He asked me questions about my ritual with Nye as if he had not been there. But I distinctly remember seeing all of the priests in my visions. I have been experiencing difficulty discerning what was reality and what was illusion during the ritual, and…as time goes by I find myself forgetting many of the details."

"Like what?"

"My recollections of the ritual are numerous. I recall all of the memories I experienced. I recall the words of the high priest. I suppose it is easier to say that I recall the events. However, that is all I recall."

"I don't get it."

"When I returned from the netherworld, or wherever I was, pieces of something were brought back with me, pieces that are not necessarily events, memories or mere voices. I feel like there is some kind of underlying puzzle that was left with me. A subliminal message, if you will."

"What makes you think that?"

"My dreams. Some of them have been strange. I do not see pictures or hear voices. What I experience in my dreams, I believe, is intangible. These pieces cannot be heard, felt, seen, or spoken. They are facts. They are information being fed to me like passing thoughts, so quick that once they pass you forget they were even there. I believe that I have been fed a piece of the divine. I do not know how, when or why I received these pieces. I do not even know who fed them to me. But I know that they mean something."

"What does all of this have to do with the priests?"

"I think I was fed a portion of the priests' minds. At first, I thought it was just the high priest. We share similar and mutual knowledge that I am afraid to discuss with the others. However, I now believe that I carry a piece of all the priests' minds."

A horn honked outside. It caused Ariel to stir, but she did not awaken.

"That's my ride," Link said kissing Da'an and Ariel. Da'an followed him to the door with his suitcase. He stopped and stared into her eyes for a moment. "I don't know how to understand everything you just told me, and I'm not sure what you're getting at exactly. However, I think that if you're searching for answers, you should start with figuring out why you seem to know so much about these pieces that you claim pass so quickly that you don't even know they're there."

Da'an opened the door and handed him his suitcase. "Take care of yourself."

"I will. Take care of Ariel," Link said. With that, he headed down the stairs to the outside and met his cab.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Return

In the early hours of the morning, Auger slipped out of a cab and entered Saint Michael's Church. All he had was a suitcase with some clothes and essentials and his suit. He was surprised to still find that his old code worked, but he entered and took the elevator underground. The lights were all out, so he tiptoed quietly inside. His station of computers had been updated which also surprised him. He made his way towards the screensaver, which was the only source of light in the room. Upon accessing the computer he opened a program that would turn on the lights. He was just seconds away when he felt a gun hit the back of his head.

"You have two seconds to tell me who you are and how in the hell you got in here," a youthful voice said sinisterly.

"How I got in here?" Augur asked. "I own this place, buddy."

"Yeah, and I'm Ma'el back from the dead. Put your hands on your head."

Auger complied. The figure in the dark activated the lighting.

Auger turned to see a young brown-haired boy with blue eyes pointing a gun directly in his face. "What the hell are you?"

The boy chuckled and pressed a button activating the alarm system. A red light began flashing and sirens went off. Twelve armed Taelons appeared in the background and aimed their guns at Auger.

"Guys…this is a mistake," Auger whimpered. "I…I got off. The FBI granted me amnesty."

"Wait!" a feminine voice cried.

A hauntingly familiar woman rushed down the stairs and stood in front of the boy.

"He's an intruder," the boy said.

"He's the owner," she shot back. "Stand down, all of you."

They all stared at the boy for approval.

"Tay'jay Amo'qui, I am giving you five seconds to order your troops to stand down immediately," she said firmly.

Tay'jay sighed and dropped the pistol. The other Taelons followed his lead. He glared at Auger. "You got lucky." He waved for the rest of the Taelons to return to their duties.

"What is going on here?" Auger asked.

"I am sorry, I—"

"Auger?" Street cried from afar. "Is that you?"

"Jay?" Auger cried back.

"Oh my God!" Street exclaimed rushing to give him a big hug. "I missed you so much! I can't believe you're finally back!"

"It's…uh…it's great to be home," Auger said. "Speaking of which…"

"Oh, sorry. That's my fault," Street said. "The Espelons and the Taelons got a new building, and we were about to move the Taelons tonight."

"Wait. Taelons?" Auger exclaimed. "And what the hell is an…Espe—Espel—"

"Espelon," Street pronounced for him. "Um, this is gonna be hard to explain, but…um…well…" She pointed to the female. "Here. This is an Espelon."

Auger pointed to her. "You…You're an Espelon?"

She grinned at him and inhaled deeply. "I am now," she answered in a voice Auger knew well.

Auger's heart jumped. "D-Da'an?"

Da'an tied her hair into a bun.

"Oh…my God!" Auger cried. "Wh-What the hell is…? You're…Oh my God!"

"Uh, he's not taking this too well," Da'an told Street with her voice returned to normal. "I'll leave you two to catch up."

"You brought aliens into this lair!" Auger cried to Street.

"They didn't have anywhere else to go," Street explained rapidly. "But it's okay. They're all fighting for the resistance, and they're really tidy. Seriously. I'm talking borderline obsessive-compulsive tidy."

"They're Taelons! Oh God. What did you do to my café?" Auger cried. "They're not in the café, are they?"

"No!" Street said. "The café's totally cool…except…"

"Except…"

"It's a nightclub now," Street said uneasily.

"A nightclub!"

"It couldn't be helped. Your day business was going south, and we saved more money installing a speaker system and hiring DJs than we did keeping the doors open from ten AM to twelve midnight. But it's okay. A lot of the customers still come, and everybody likes it. It's really shway."

"Shway! Oh, dear God!"

"If you say 'God' one more time, I'm throwing your ass into the confession booth upstairs!" Tay'jay cried from afar.

"Tay'jay! Show a little respect! He built this place!" Da'an exclaimed.

"Yeah, whatever. Mi'en, what's your status?" Tay'jay said speaking into a headset.

"Everything's packed and ready for transport," Mi'en's voice said. "Are we still leaving in groups of ten?"

"Every ten minutes," Tay'jay confirmed. "Sister and I are heading over there now."

"Sister?" Auger asked Street.

"Yeah, Tay'jay's Da'an's older brother," Street said. "Isn't that cool?"

"Older? He's just a kid!"

"That's just how he looks," Street said. "Come on. I'll fix us some drinks and I'll fill you in on everything that's happening. Liam and Renee are gonna be so excited to see you!"

"Da'an," Mi'en's voice said. "Mr. Urick is asking for you at central. He says it is an emergency."

"I knew it," Da'an said grimly. "I come here for just two minutes and I get talked into staying for hours. Tay'jay, can you watch Ariel for me? She is with Mi'en right now."

"I'll take care of her," Tay'jay said. "You can go with the first group."

"Ariel? What Da'an has a kid now, too?" Auger asked Street.

Street grew real quiet and her face was long. "Auger…we need to talk alone."

Auger followed her with a growing fear of how he would come out.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Pride and Prejudice

The Taelons were being moved into the headquarters building in groups of ten for their own safety. They had been staying in the lair because first priority had been given to Tay'jay's Espelons in the Taelon-Espelon living quarters at the ANA building. The Taelons had complied because they knew the Espelons were without a home and that the quarters were still under construction. However, the workers had finally finished the barracks, and it was time to move. The Taelons were being evacuated from the lair in groups of ten via Auger's portal. They had to wait ten minutes because each time, the data log had to be reprogrammed to give a different location of departure. This was necessary to keep any backtrackers from finding the lair.

Da'an went with the first group and took an elevator to the top floor where Hubble and the radio and communications team had been stationed. Several human resistance fighters who were in hiding had been moved to the ANA building as well and were given jobs.

Hubble and Da'an had accepted that neither one was going away any time soon, so they had gotten used to each other. However, they were far from friends. They could not even be called mutual acquaintances. Therefore, it was normal for Da'an to see Hubble's tense stare as she walked in.

"I do not mean to be in a hurry, but…I'm in a hurry," Da'an said.

"If you and your brother hadn't decided to evacuate the Taelons in the dead of night just for 'security purposes,' I could've gotten a decent sleep tonight," Hubble said activating the transmission tracker. "You have an encoded message. It's asking for your cypher key. I assume you have one."

Da'an understood exactly what he meant. She took control of the central computer and used her global to upload a program that would decode message.

Balvak's face appeared on the screen. Da'an ignored the surprised look painted all over Hubble's face.

"This message is intended for Da'an and Da'an only," Balvak said. "Da'an, I have news of reconstruction on Jaridia. We have been in negotiations with the imprisoned high council for several days and we have finally drawn an agreement, which will start the reformation of our government and our assistance in your cause. We call it the Lillian Contract. As the only representative of the resisting Taelons, you are invited to the signing. You must bring a human representative and an Espelon representative to make the treaty official. Also, bring extra security. We have been experiencing problems from loyalist insurgents for weeks now. I look forward to your response with due haste."

Da'an turned off the message and looked at Hubble.

"I take it you're going," Hubble said.

"I have to. They cannot sign the treaty without all the representatives there."

"Well don't count on sending Liam or Renee. Renee has business in Japan, and T'than's been watching Liam like a hawk ever since he first left for Jaridia."

"I had no intention of taking either of them with me, especially considering neither of them run this place," Da'an said staring at him.

Hubble sighed. "I can't. I'm too close to the president. They'll notice me gone."

"According to you, three whole continents endorse this secret Skull and Bones-like society you call the Atlantic National Alliance. I am quite sure President Thompson will be more than happy to give you a leave of absence on something so crucial. In fact, he may even want to come himself."

"I can't just sign a treaty with a whole other species without the president and Congress's endorsement. And you know that anything the American government knows will go straight back to Zo'or and the priests. Their heels are dug in too tightly with the American government."

"You have friends in the Senate that can get this motion approved, and if all else fails, it is not technically a treaty. It is a contract, and the Constitution does not dictate that the president has to get approval on the signing of a contract."

"You're a slick one, Da'an," Hubble said, "but the president's foreign policy is straightforward: no entangling alliances."

"You know, you were so quick to send human and Taelon troops to assist them, but when they are offering to help us—"

"If we sign anything official, we are confirming that we are doing deals with the Jaridians. If anything goes wrong, the American people will suffer."

"You got America into this the moment you agreed to help the Jaridians. I wonder, are you kicking yourself for forcing me to assist the Jaridians the first time they requested help?"

"Don't flatter yourself. This whole incident goes public if I go to anyone in the White House, and I can't just leave on a whim."

"Why? The Senate and House do it all the time. In fact, they get free air service for it."

"That's a whole other branch, Da'an."

"Oh please. The only difference between the executive and legislative branch is their party affiliations."

"All the more reason the Senate would never endorse a treaty with the Jaridians. They know Thompson and his party are supporters of the Taelons."

"We are not talking about the Taelons. We are talking about the Jaridians."

"To the GOP, there's no distinct difference between the two. The Senate will never stand for it."

"Listen Mr. Urick, either you make arrangements to go to Jaridia with me or you send someone qualified to do it. Go as an ANA representative and not an executive representative if you have to. I really do not care, but you started this brittle alliance with the Jaridians. You are going to finish it if I have to storm the White House, pull Thompson out of bed, and discuss this with him myself."

Hubble stepped up in front of Da'an. "Are you threatening me?"

"If I was threatening you, I'd use a gun. This is an ultimatum. I look forward to hearing your response in the Oval Office," Da'an said shrewdly.

Hubble stepped back and gave Da'an the dirtiest look he could muster. Da'an was unaffected.

"Hah!" Hubble laughed suddenly. "You are good, Da'an. You're like a snake, you know. You just sit there so casually and friendly, allowing your prey to get comfortable, and then you strike like the cold-blooded animal your species is."

"I'd prefer to think of myself as water. Soft and hard at the same time."

"I never knew you had it in you, but I guess two thousand years of facing Jaridians begets your kind of personality. All right. I'll see your challenge and attend the signing, but it will be as an ANA representative. That means that America is not obligated to assist them, but as an unofficial office of the executive branch, they have to assist us, and any country a part of the Atlantic National Alliance."

"You must be very proud of yourself," Da'an said monotonously.

"Oh, I am," Hubble said, "and despite what you believe, I'm not opposed to getting my hands dirty when I need to. Just tell me when to leave."

"I'll let you know," Da'an said on her way out.

"Da'an!" Hubble yelled. "One more thing!"

Da'an whirled around and sternly faced Hubble. Hubble marched up to her and gave her a sly look. "Your child was a jack-ass to kick you out of the Synod. A stupid, pompous jack-ass." With that he turned away and let Da'an leave.

She was surprised that such a sign of respect from Hubble Urick flattered her.

* * *

The next day, at around noon, Da'an summoned the Taelons and the Espelons for a meeting. Street was outside feeding Ariel with a depressed and devastated Auger sitting beside her.

"I should've known we'd eventually have to go back to that hell hole," Tay'jay said to himself.

"And they want us to bring our own security?" Ta'lay asked.

"Balvak stated that loyalist insurgents have been cropping up everywhere trying to sabotage the treaty signing," Da'an explained. "I believe his forces may be understaffed."

"So this is another classic case of us saving their asses," a disgruntled Espelon said. "Maybe we should start getting paid for this."

"That is blasphemous talk and you know it!" cried a Taelon.

"I'm just saying that they've been killing Taelons and hunting Espelons for hundreds of years, and now all of a sudden we're obligated to fight for their causes and sacrifice our people for theirs'?" the same Espelon argued. "Seems a little unbalanced, if you ask me."

"They are offering their services to us if our opposition to the priests becomes violent," an Espelon female said. "It's not like we're getting nothing in return for this."

And what will you say when something goes wrong? a Taelon naysayer asked in Eunoia. Will it still be worth it when one of us in this room becomes severely injured or dead?

"I don't think it's right to judge the Jaridians on what they have done," the same Espelon female said. "The Taelons have done terrible things as well. Tay'jay knows. The priests sent bounty hunters to wipe us out all the time, and Taelons in the outer colonies wouldn't take us in for protection. But are any of us calling you out and refusing aid to you? No."

"I am!" an Espelon male said. "I never wanted to help you idiots in the first place! Tay'jay made us come for his stupid sister, and now we're stuck here."

"That's a load of sha'bra, and you know it, ass-hole!" another Espelon yelled. "Tay'jay let us decide and you chose to come. You're no more obligated to be here than the Taelons are obligated to serve Da'an!"

"And in the meantime, all of you don't have to go," Mi'en said. "If you had been paying attention when Da'an first spoke, you would have heard that this is completely optional. Not everyone has to go."

"That's right," Ta'lay said, "and for truth to tell, I know how many of you feel. I cannot stand the Jaridians either, and it boils me that we have to work with them. However, I also know that we have been battling for thousands of years and eventually this bloodbath has to end. It will never end unless one of us agrees not to fight, and the Jaridians have taken that step. Our bitterness is what keeps us from helping them, and bitterness only leads to more fighting and more dying. This war needs to come to an end, regardless of how you feel about what they did back then."

"I'd rather pass up an opportunity to gain an ally than gain a mole that will betray us later," a Taelon said.

"Keep in mind that these are not the same Jaridians that sent soldiers to attack us," Da'an noted. "These are Jaridians who enveloped their planet into a civil war just to stop the fighting and this kind of bitterness. These Jaridians are not the high council. I believed once as you did. I believed that they were one and the same, like any other Jaridian. However, if we carry that generalization, it also means that every Taelon in this room is no different than the priests, the Synod, and every other Taelon that has wronged humanity in the six years we have been here. It means that every Espelon in this room is just like those Espelons the priests perceive to be malicious criminals. I do not want to be bitter anymore. I lost one of the best friends that I could ever have to my bitterness."

The entire room grew quiet. Outside, Auger heard Da'an's words, and tears began to fall from his eyes. He looked away from Street and sobbed quietly.

"Look, none of you are obligated to go," Tay'jay said. "This is completely optional. But Da'an and I are going as your representatives to make sure that you get a fair deal out of this. Nobody in this room is getting screwed on our notice. But when I was a warrior battling the Jaridians just before we lost Taelon, I'd have given anything for a chance like this. Do you know how many lives could have been spared if we had just taken the opportunity to get along? Do you know how many lives this treaty is gonna help? By signing this treaty, the Jaridians pledge to grant all Espelons and Taelons in the universe amnesty with the exception of the Synod. That means that the main people who were pursuing us don't hunt us anymore. I mean this hatred cycle is old. It's old, it's obsolete, and it's just plain ignorant. So let's not be like the priests or the Synod, and let's get this weight off our backs once and for all. This is the first and biggest step towards finally ending this stupid war, and I'm taking it."

"So am I," Da'an said.

"Same for me," Mi'en said.

"Me too," Ta'lay agreed.

"Me too!" Auger cried.

The Taelons and Espelons all stared at him.

"I…I'm going with you," Auger said. "I'm going with you for Lili. This is what she would've wanted…right Da'an?"

Da'an sighed and nodded solemnly.

"After all, that's…why the contract's named after her…right?"

"Right," Tay'jay said somberly.

The Taelons and Espelons burst into conversation about Auger. It gave Da'an and Tay'jay time to talk to Auger about the possible consequences of his decision.

"What is that guy's problem?" a female Espelon asked a Taelon.

"He was friends with that woman that died," the Taelon explained. "You know the one."

"The general's wife?" the Espelon asked. After the Taelon nodded she scoffed. "Why bother crying over that bitch? I said good riddance before and I still say it now."

"You and me both," the Taelon said. "That arrogant slut was a victim of her own selfish pride. I don't know why everyone sympathizes with her."

"Seriously," another Espelon female who had been listening said. "You know that Liam guy is just like her too. I heard that whenever he's got a problem he can't solve, he would come to Da'an in a hissy fit. 'My friend got captured by Zo'or.' 'Well, was he doing anything illegal?' 'Yeah, but he's my friend. You have to save him, or you're just like Hitler.'"

"Oh, that's pathetic," the Taelon said.

"I know!" the second Espelon female agreed.

"I heard that he tried to help that Jonathan Doors guy. The man's son even thought he was guilty of conspiring to kill Thompson, but—oh no—the guy's still got to risk his ass helping Doors," another Taelon said. "You know I still think that Doors was involved in the attempt. I don't care what these people say. He may not have done it through the resistance, but he was involved."

"I can't believe Da'an's friends with a guy who would help a man like Doors before her," the first Espelon female said. "And he had the audacity to get mad at Da'an just because he claims she betrayed him. 'You're supposed to be my friend! We trusted you with our lives!' Ha! That's a load of crap. If you really trusted her, you would've tried to save her instead of verbally assaulting her after that Lili whore tried to blow her and a bunch of other resistance members along with her!"

"Where'd you hear that?" the Taelon asked.

"Someone heard Da'an and Link talking about it on Jaridia," the first Espelon female said. "After that, a bunch of Taelons told me. They said they were on the Mothership when Lili tried to blow it up, and they saw Da'an in a cell."

"I heard that he got all in a piss after someone else—not Da'an, mind you—_someone else_ stole parts of Da'an's Mneme technology and tried to use it to steal other people's memories," the Taelon said. "And does he do anything about it? No! Does he just find the bastards who did it and hurl verbal abuse them? No! He follows Da'an on to the Mothership and yells at her just because there's the possibility that the technology can be perverted against other humans. I mean, how stupid can you be? Cars can be used to run people over. Guns kill more people than they save. Humans can use the Internet to steal your identity. But you don't see anybody crying for any of that to be taken off the market. And do you want to know why? Because it's _human _technology! Not Taelon technology. I guarantee you if a Taelon had invented the car, Liam, Renee and that dead woman would've destroyed the prototype where it began and killed the poor Taelon who invented it too, just to make the lives of another species easier! Tsk! Ingrates."

The two Espelon girls added their own scoffs and murmurs in agreement.

"He's so self-righteous," a male Espleon added, who had also been listening. "He thinks his species is so bad off just because a bunch of Taelons are on his planet. At least that jerk has a planet. He should just shut the hell up and enjoy life."

"It's not even technically his," the Taelon said. "He's a Kimera bastard."

"Oh, obviously," the second Espelon female said. "You can see it in his hands. You know I heard that he can't use his shaquarava anymore. They say that it has something to do with Earth's atmosphere. Sha'bra. I think he deliberately shut them down because too many humans were giving him dirty looks."

"His name isn't even his true name. He doesn't have a name," the Espelon male said. "He stole that name from a dead soldier in the SI War."

"Oh, typical!" the Taelon said.

"What a prick!" the first Espelon female said.

"I can't believe those humans spend so much time criticizing us and what our species does, and yet they've stooped to the same lows that we've had to for their own selfish intent several times," the Taelon said.

"I'll tell you what it is. It's prejudice," the male Espelon said.

"Prejudiced sha'bras," the first Espelon female said. "They're so hard-headed. They're like that with anything different. If I had been the Synod, I would've destroyed this planet the moment I learned about it and put these creatures out of their misery."

"You and me both," the Taelon said, "but more so to put _me_ out of _my_ misery."

The group of four laughed.

"Hey!" Tay'jay cried. "This meeting isn't over yet!"

The two just stared at him, but when he turned away the Espelon male swiped his fingers across his opposite palm in a gesture deemed highly offensive to any Taelon or Espelon. Whether he meant it for Lili or Tay'jay was a mystery, but the rest of the group enjoyed laughing at his dry humor.

"Okay, voting time. All those who wish to come, raise your hands," Tay'jay said.

It started with a small few. Mi'en and Ta'lay's hands raised instantly along with a few other Taelons and Espelons. Gradually, Tay'jay's influence sunk in and spread. Soon all but six—four of the six had been the three Espelons and the Taelon that had been gossiping about Liam and Lili— were prepared to follow Tay'jay and Da'an down an uncertain path.

"Is anyone else as worried about how this could turn out as I am?" an Espelon cried.

No one answered. There was no need.

* * *

It was agreed that they would leave in two days with Hubble Urick and a few human ambassadors sent by the president and sworn to secrecy. Not even Congress knew about the secret alliance. Tay'jay had agreed to stay with Da'an in Link's apartment the night before as Da'an phoned Link to tell him the news. Ariel was perched on Tay'jay's knee playing cooing with glee as Tay'jay teased her with a familiar blue crystal.

"How long are you gonna be gone?" Link asked.

"I have no clue. A week, maybe two."

"You know I don't like that planet, and I especially don't like leaving you there alone."

"I have an entire force of Taelons and Espelons going with me for security purposes. Tay'jay will be with me. I will be fine."

"And the kid?"

"Unless you want to take her, she is coming with me."

"Are you nuts? That kid won't last five minutes on Jaridia."

"I beg to differ. She survived over a year with her natural planets. She is used to the atmosphere, and there are people there who can watch her during the negotiations. I cannot leave her here. I do not trust anyone but you to care for her for over a week."

"I don't blame you," Link said. "Well, it's not gonna look good for my client if I take the stand with a baby in my lap. I'm testifying to everything I've uncovered tomorrow."

"So they didn't settle? Interesting."

"The defense lawyer thinks that with my evidence, the plaintiffs don't have a case. I just have to confirm my findings are legit."

"Are they?"

"As far as I know."

Da'an smirked. "Then, I especially do not want you to worry about us. It will not look good for your lawyers if you testify in an anxious state just because you are worried about us."

"I'll be all right as long as you promise me you'll come back alive and well with the kid."

"I promise."

"Good. Then, I'll be fine. Bring her to the phone. I wanna say goodbye."

Da'an called Tay'jay and had him bring the baby.

"Hey Ariel," Link said to the squealing baby.

Ariel reached out for the screen thinking he was really in front of her.

"Be good for sir and ma'am, Ari. I'll see you real soon, okay?"

Ariel smiled and cooed.

Da'an told her to wave to Link, which she did do by pitching her fist up and down.

"Love you two," Link said.

"Love you," Da'an said, and she turned off the global.

She turned to face Tay'jay. He was shaking his head. "You are such a mom."

"What?" Da'an asked as if nothing was wrong.

"Were you like this with Zo'or?" Tay'jay asked.

"Oh, get off it. Just because you never had children…"

"And for good reason too. I never wanna turn out like that."

"Tay'jay, she is one year old. She doesn't understand adult talk."

"That's not what I'm talkin' about. I'm talking about a certain premarital relationship with a certain strange human guy."

"What about it?"

"'Love you two'? 'Love you'? What the hell is that? Who are you—June Cleaver? Shoot, give it a few years and you'll be vacuuming in pearls and giving him Eskimo kisses when he comes home."

"I will admit it is a little cliché, but how else can I say it?"

"I prefer the poetic way."

"That's even worse!" Da'an said nudging him. "I love Link, so I outright say it. Who cares? It's much better than that stupid schoolchild runaround most boys and girls give each other when they're…twelve. You are supposed to be older than me. I'd think you of all people would understand."

"I'm teasing you, sis," Tay'jay said. "Sha'bra, get a sense of humor."

"I have a great sense of humor!" Da'an said defensively. "I just…don't use it often."

Tay'jay took Ariel and sat back on the sofa. "So, you really plan on taking care of this little rugrat until she's grown, mean and can't stand the sight of you?"

"I do not know."

"Well, you don't have that long, and I don't think it's good for the developmental stages of a child when you don't know what you want."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then, what do you mean?"

"I mean that there is another reason I am taking her to Jaridia."

"What's that?"

"I am thinking about giving her to a family there."

Tay'jay put Ariel on the cushion of the sofa next to him and began gently stroking her back. She was playing with the crystal. "Are you serious?"

"I am very serious."

"Why didn't you tell Link?"

"I was afraid of him getting attached to her…and…I was afraid he would talk me out of it."

"So what are you gonna do? Hold auditions?"

"That's not funny."

"It wasn't meant to be. How are you gonna decide whether or not you want to give her away? Who could you give her to?"

"Before we left Jaridia…with Lili's ashes…Geris told me he was willing to take her if it got too difficult to care for her on Earth. I do not know if he was serious or if he meant just to comfort my grief."

"So you're gonna take her there and see if he's still interested?"

"I am," Da'an said.

"What about your promise you made to Lili?"

"Lili only asked me to care for Ariel because I was the only one in that room she could see. I believe that if she had seen anyone else, she would have asked him or her to care for Ariel. She knows that Ariel cannot handle Earth's atmosphere, and she knew that I was Zo'or's…parent. We were fighting. How could she possibly want me to care for this child? How could I?"

"Lili knew exactly what she was saying before she died, and if she didn't want you to have this kid, she wouldn't have said a word about Ariel. I'm sure the Jaridians had some line of custody in the event both of this kid's parents become incapacitated or deceased. But Lili surpassed all that because she wanted you to have her. You can't break the promise you made to someone on their deathbed."

"Tay'jay, I am frightened for this child. Zo'or is the only child I had before her, and look how he turned out. I do not want her turning out the same way."

"You're talking like it was something you did that made Zo'or that way. I say that's a load of crap. Every parent screws up with their kid once in a while—some more than others. In a completely dysfunctional family, a child turns out perfectly good. A retarded or deaf family raises a kid who grows to become a teacher or a doctor or a humanitarian. Yet in a family as normal as can be, a child grows up to become a serial killer. I'll admit that parenting plays a big factor in a child's development, but if it was just that, how do you explain what I just said? Some of it's the child, Da'an. Zo'or's fucked up because he chose to be. He had over a thousand years to get over himself, and he never did. He has no excuse, and you have no fault. There's a certain point where you gotta stop blaming yourself."

"All the same, I am taking her to Jaridia."

"You can't do this."

"I have to."

"Why? What are you so afraid of?"

Da'an picked up Ariel and removed the crystal she was now sucking on. Somewhere during the argument, it had found its way into her mouth. Ariel whined for it, so Da'an replaced it with a stuffed animal parched on the coffee table. Ariel instantly accepted. "You just don't understand."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Arrival

Two Taelon battle cruisers flew over the tarnished Jaridian landscape and inside the walls of the Citadel. Balvak and Geris were waiting for them with an army of Jaridian soldiers. The mood this time around was more solemn on both sides. As the ships landed, a sudden onset of fatigue filtered through the ranks affecting both Taelon and Jaridian. They had grown weary of fighting, but a certain amount of distrust still lingered. Hubble was dressed in a long black robe that reminded him of a judge's robe. Da'an was wearing a long blue robe with silver weavings along the sleeves and the front in an alien pattern

"Tell me again why I'm wearing this," he told Da'an, who was checking the robe for wrinkles.

"The Jaridians give their leaders two standard forms of dress. Military uniforms or this. This robe is the standard uniform of all hierarchy leaders. You are going as a diplomat, and we want to make a good impression. Just think of this as a formality."

"Where did you get this anyway?"

"Beats me. Tay'jay was the one who gave it to me. Ask him."

"I still think my suit and tie would've been just fine," Hubble said.

"I doubt it. The suit and tie have striking similarities to the Jaridian high council military uniform. You do not want these people associating you with the high council in any way, shape or form."

"Da'an, Tay'jay is calling," Mi'en announced.

Da'an activated a console. Tay'jay's face appeared. "How'd he take it?"

"The uniform or the ride here?" Da'an asked.

"Both."

"The ride here seemed to be fine for him," Da'an said. "He is a little uncomfortable with the uniform."

"You doing okay?" Tay'jay asked.

"I am fine," Da'an said. "Now this is hardly necessary. We will be out in another minute."

"Yeah, but I can't talk to you then."

Da'an smiled. "Bye, Tay'jay," and she turned off the screen.

"You know, you should wear your hair up more often," Hubble noted as the platform opened. "It brings out the shape of your cheeks and it makes your neck longer."

"Is that a compliment?" Da'an asked in an uneasy tone.

"No, just a suggestion," Hubble said following his security detail off the ship.

Da'an lagged behind for a few seconds, pondering over what she had just heard. "Duly noted," was all she could say.

Behind Balvak and Geris were the four former members of the hierarchy who had assisted them in putting away the high council. A security detail of over five hundred humans and Taelons surrounded Tay'jay, Da'an, and Hubble and set their weapons to stun. As the three representatives approached the Jaridians, the troops slowly parted. It was a strange juxtaposition of fatigue and anxiousness.

"How was the trip here?" Balvak asked Da'an.

"Longer and more exhausting this time," Da'an replied.

"You can say that again," Tay'jay muttered.

"We have prepared quarters for all of you tonight," Balvak said. "Negotiations will begin tomorrow. Take this time to settle and rest up."

"It is good to see you all again," Geris added. He pointed at Hubble. "However, I believe we have not had the pleasure of meeting you."

"Hubble Urick, leader and founder of the Atlantic National Alliance. We are a coalition independent of the human governments organized to free Earth from Taelon influence."

Tay'jay shot a dirty look in Hubble's direction. A Taelon and four Espelons cocked their energy rifles. Da'an prodded him with her elbow.

"Err, and when I say 'Taelon influence,' I am referring to that of the Synod and the priests," Hubble corrected.

"I am Geris of the Jaridian peace movement, and this is my older brother Balvak," Geris said. "These men behind me are Kunik, Lutak, Boren, and Sharak. They are the last surviving members of the old hierarchy, they assisted in overthrowing the high council, and they have assisted us in writing the Lillian Contract."

The four nodded.

"Now, if you will follow us," Balvak said, "we will take you to your quarters. Your forces are invited to stay with our soldiers in the surrounding camps, save a select group of one hundred who will take shelter in the fourth building of the Citadel."

Da'an, Hubble, and Tay'jay had been expecting this. They gathered and discussed which hundred would come with them. When they were through, Hubble turned and faced the troops.

"Squads 187, 212, 313, and 59 will follow me. All Taelons will follow Da'an. The remaining twenty-five Espelons of Tay'jay's choice will follow him," he announced. "The rest of you, follow the troops."

"May we expect the same hospitality that we received last time?" Da'an asked Balvak.

"You may and you will," Balvak assured.

"The male with Ariel is with me," Da'an said to Balvak, motioning for Auger to follow her.

"Done," Balvak said. "We have a special room prepared for all of you."

Da'an and Tay'jay nodded. Tay'jay began calling out the names of the Espelons he wanted with him in an informal Taelon dialect. The rest of the selected followed Da'an and Hubble. No one questioned the sudden splitting. No one even displayed concern about it. Either they were too tired to, or they just did not care anymore even though they knew they should have.

* * *

"The Taelon and human negotiators have just arrived, lord. They are being escorted to their quarters."

"Did you obtain a copy of the Lillian Contract?"

"Indeed, and everything else is going according to plan. The troops are in position. We will be ready once the negotiations begin."

"Then, everything is on schedule. Well done, Dujak. I understand you had quite the embarrassing situation with these two particular Espelons."

"They will not fool me again, and they will pay dearly for their insolence. No one insults the honor of a Jaridian warlord. The Lillian Contract will never be signed. I promise you."

"Excellent. I await the confrontation."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: The Simple Things in Life

With a touch of irony, Da'an, Tay'jay and Hubble were given rooms that formerly belonged to members of the high council. The hierarchy and high council buildings were now both being renovated. However, the high council renovations had only gotten past the third floor. The high council suites were all on the highest levels. Auger was given a room next door to Da'an's. All the high council rooms were connected by doorways, meaning that they could have private access to each other if needed.

The moment Hubble lay on his back, he realized just how tired the journey had made him. He fell asleep immediately. Tay'jay remained awake for a long time, but soon fatigue caught up with him as well, and he fell asleep. Ariel had slept through most of the trip, and she was just starting to awaken. As she grew restless in Auger's arms, he knocked on the adjoining door to Da'an's room.

"It's open," a faint voice said.

Auger walked in with Ariel fidgeting all the way. He saw Da'an laying on her stomach. There was the faint sound of music on a desk in front of her bed. The song that had been playing when Auger walked in ceased and was replaced with "Echoes."

Da'an had poured a small glass of water and placed it in front of the bed. Tiny droplets were rising and floating in front of her. They began to create all kinds of complex shapes.

"You do this all the time?" Auger asked.

"Not often," Da'an said. "It helps me learn to control my telekinesis."

"What happens when you lose control?" Auger asked.

"The water spills," Da'an replied.

Ariel could see the shapes and was reaching out to touch them. Auger sat cross-legged in front of the dancing droplets. The droplets all combined to form a single liquid orb. It moved towards Ariel. When she grabbed it, it stayed in place, even when she stuck one of her fists right through it.

"She's pretty curious," Auger said. "Is she always awake all night?"

"Not always," Da'an said, "but it is not like Link and I really care. Neither of us need to sleep."

"Lucky stiffs," Auger muttered.

The orb moved away from Ariel and towards Auger. He reached out and grabbed the orb, but the moment he made contact with it, cold water spilled all over his hand. Ariel started laughing.

"You meant to do that," Auger grumbled to Da'an, setting Ariel down and looking for a towel. "Where's the bathroom around here?"

There was a large wardrobe to the right of Da'an's bed. Its doors flew open and two alien cloths flew into Auger's face. Auger rolled his eyes, removed them from his face, and started wiping his wet arm and his pant leg, where the rest of the water had found its way.

"Street was right about you," Auger said. "You were never this big of a trickster when you were a Taelon."

"How do you know? You never spoke to me when I was a Taelon," Da'an said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Ariel floated into her lap. The child was cooing the whole time she floated.

"Then, were you a trickster back when you were a Taelon?" Auger asked.

"You mean did I make fun of other people's misfortune. No. On Taelon, it wasn't funny when someone slipped on fruit and fell on his back."

"It is funny to you now?"

"Occasionally."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means?"

Auger thought for a moment. "What color is the sky?"

"Depends on what day it is."

Auger nodded humorously. He knew what Da'an was doing. "You're making fun of me."

"You looked like you could use a little humor," Da'an chuckled.

"Yeah, well," Auger said, "I guess you're right about us never meeting. So let's introduce ourselves. Hi, I'm Marcus 'Auger' Devereaux. What's your name?"

"Da'an," she replied.

"I like holo-women, coffee, martinis and gambling. What about you?"

"I enjoy reading, listening to people talk about themselves, diplomacy, C, and derivatives."

"Hmm, C+. So you're an old school girl?"

"It was the best language at being both simple and efficient."

"They don't have enough of you people out there, you know?"

"I know."

"How about exponential charts?"

Da'an shrugged. "They're only good for interest."

"Okay. What about chemistry?"

"Fluorine, Uranium, Carbon, Potassium chemistry."

Auger had to think about that one for a second. "Oh, that's wrong!" he cried when it finally hit him. "Who taught you that?"

"The human scientists who used to work with me on various projects used to say it in moments of frustration."

"Interesting. A Taelon learning bad nerd jokes."

"That's nothing. You should hear the one about the constant."

"No, stop! I know that one!" Auger said shielding his face. "That's a bad one. That one's bad even for nerd jokes."

"You're funny," Da'an laughed.

Auger joined in the laughter.

Ariel was bouncing happily on Da'an's knee.

"She really likes you," Auger said pointing to the infant.

"I know," Da'an said. The music player switched off. Da'an reached into a pocket in her robe and pulled out a blue crystal. Ariel squealed with glee and grabbed it. "She loves this thing."

"I guess cause it glows," Auger said.

"It used to glow even brighter than that, but the centuries of its existence have faded it."

"How old is it?"

"I don't know. Older than me."

"That's pretty old. Where'd you find it?"

"Hovering over my head when I was an infant in the hand of my older brother."

"Wow. So I guess you get why she likes it so much, huh?"

"I'd like to think so."

"Uh, what other toys does she like?"

"Stuffed animals, puzzles, plush toys, little airplanes and cars—she also likes books, particularly hardbacks."

"Books. Why?"

"Because she has discovered the sound they make when you hit the front cover with the palm of your hand. She loves that sound."

"Huh. I did not know that. It's the simple things in life you take for granted."

Da'an laughed.

"Well, she's real cute. Lili would be proud."

"She was," Da'an said. "Prouder than I was when I realized that she had my DNA."

"So that explains the eyes, and the hair color," Auger said.

"She used to change the color all the time, but she's since stopped," Da'an said. "Link says she likes my hair color. I don't think so."

"What do you think?"

"Personally? That she got bored with it."

Ariel began reaching for Da'an with the crystal in her left hand. Da'an lifted her and put her against her chest.

"So…um…how did she get your DNA?"

"Lili compelled me to give my energy to her in order to allow her birth Ariel. The DNA strands in my energy fused with Ariel's genetic structure as she taking form."

"I guess you weren't too happy about that."

Da'an's eyes turned downward. "I hated her."

"So were you glad when she…?"

"Of course not," Da'an said sternly. "That only made me hate myself. Lili carried a part of my soul inside of her, and I carried a part of hers. She was the best friend I ever had, and I hated her. But she never hated me. She always cared for me. She never stopped. I don't think she ever stopped caring for the people she loved, even when they turned against her. The fighting must have made her tired of hating people. It made me bitter."

"Did she…say anything about me…before she died?" Auger asked, blinking rapidly to try and hide his tears.

Da'an stared at his eyes, which were filled with water. "Yes," she lied. "She said she loved you."

Auger nodded and wiped his eyes. "Thanks."

Da'an nodded.

"She must have really cared for you if she gave you Ariel. Whatever happened to that bastard husband of hers?"

"He was court-martialed on death row. I do not know if they executed him. They take all the death row prisoners to a prison colony not too far from here. I believe it is on one of their moons."

"Well anything he gets is too good for him," Auger muttered.

"That's what I say."

"So why'd you bring Ariel here—I mean, if they've found a way to help her adapt to Earth's atmosphere…"

Da'an fell silent.

"You're right. None of my business," Auger said putting his hands up. "It just seemed like…she didn't need to come…"

Ariel tried as best as she could to wrap her arms around Da'an's neck.

"Oh my God," Auger realized. "You're planning on giving her up. You wanna give her back to the Jaridians."

"The thought has…crossed my mind."

"You can't. Lili gave her to you. That means she wanted you to take her. Nobody else can have her."

"You do not know that."

"But don't you?"

Da'an said nothing.

"She can't stay here. There are too many problems. There's too much war. Her dad's on death row here. Her dad's _here_!"

"Her father will be dead and forgotten soon enough. Her health is easier to manage here, and there are plenty of good Jaridians willing to care for her."

"But she wants you."

"For how long?"

"Every kid hates their parents every once in a while. It's a fact of life. You can't just dump 'em because you want them to love you all the time. That's how they become dependent on you."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Yeah…Jay told me. You and Zo'or—I guess you think she'll turn out like Zo'or."

"Link and I never planned on having children for that reason. We still do not plan on having any more."

"So you're gonna leave her because you don't want children?"

"What is so wrong with that? I cannot be a parent unless I want to be, and right now, I do not want to be a parent."

"But you two work so well together. She never cries or whines when she's with you. You know all the things she likes. You don't sleep, so you don't have to worry about her waking you up in the middle of the night. You probably know all the foods she likes too, right?"

"I do."

"You know all the TV shows she watches, all the funny stories, all the music—you know how to make her happy when she's sad."

"She's only been under my care for a month."

"But she doesn't know anyone else but you," Auger said.

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Think of all the fun stuff that's gonna happen when she gets older. You're gonna see her first step, hear her first word, take her to school on her first day, hear about her first crush, teach her to drive, buy her prom dress—well, maybe not a prom dress—but you will buy her wedding dress."

"You are surprisingly optimistic."

"All I'm saying is that nobody else seems to object to you caring for her. Why should you?"

"True," Da'an considered. "If it helps, I am still thinking about it. You had better rest. Morning comes in five hours."

"I am pretty worn out," Auger said. "You want me to take her, or you gonna crash with her tonight?"

"I will take her," Da'an said. "It has been established that I do not sleep unless she does."

"Speaking of which…" Auger said pointing to Ariel. She was curled against Da'an's chest sleeping soundly. "…guess you get to sleep tonight."

"I guess so," Da'an said.

"Good night, Da'an," Auger said closing the adjoining door behind him.

"Good night, Auger," Da'an said lying backwards, with her legs still over the edge of the bed.

* * *

The next morning, Balvak and Geris met Da'an and Tay'jay in the lobby of the high council building.

"Where's Mr. Urick?" Geris asked Da'an.

Da'an and Tay'jay glanced uneasily at each other.

"Disposed at the moment," Da'an answered with a smirk.

Tay'jay snickered. "More like dispos_ing_."

"What's so funny?" Balvak asked.

But Geris understood. He started laughing. That only made Da'an and Tay'jay laugh even harder.

"Oh man," Tay'jay said between laughs. "You should've seen his face when he..."

Balvak pointed behind them. Hubble was with Auger looking anything but cheerful. Auger was now wearing a blue robe that Ta'lay had given him.

"I'm so glad you all found this funny," Hubble told Da'an, Tay'jay and Geris cynically.

Auger pretended to grunt and then to sigh with relief behind Hubble's back. Then, he waved his hand in front of his nose. That was when Balvak figured it out, and soon all five of them were laughing at Hubble.

"I'm sorry, man," Tay'jay said trying desperately to fight off the giggles.

"I'm so sorry. I just can't…" Da'an could not even finish, she was laughing so hard.

"Can we just get on with this?" Hubble asked in a frustrated tone.

The laughter slowly subsided.

"Okay. We're stopping," Balvak said panting to stop his laughs.

"We're finished, Mr. Urick," Geris chuckled. "We apo-apoligize."

"We're done. We're done," Da'an said getting what was left out of her system. "Seriously. It's not funny anymore."

"Oh man, Auger," Tay'jay panted upon his recovery. "That was awesome. You're all right."

"Likewise," Auger said shaking his hand.

Hubble rolled his eyes.

"So if you are here, where's the infant?" Balvak asked Auger.

"Da'an got up early and gave her to Ta'lay," Auger said. "They're both gonna stay in her suite until the negotiations are over. I wanted to be there to watch."

"As long as she's safe," Geris said smiling at Da'an.

Da'an nodded.

"Well, shall we?" Balvak said pointing in the direction of the meeting room.

* * *

As they made their way to the council room, Balvak described the situation of the Jaridians since the civil war had ended. The former members of the hierarchy were reinstated to care for the Jaridians' very fragile economy. It was promised that after the Lillian Contract was signed, the Jaridians would hold elections to fill the rest of the hierarchy seats. Former resistance leaders were up for most of the seats. The rest were members of Balvak and Geris's peace corps. Balvak and Geris were both hopefuls as well, but Geris was hesitant to run. He hated politics.

"What about the insurgents?" Tay'jay asked. "What do you plan to do with them?"

"They will be dealt with accordingly," Balvak said. "We will handle them as our police force is re-established. Then, they will be taken to prison colonies around the system to await trial."

"Sounds like you have a lot under control," Hubble said.

"Only around the Citadel," Geris reminded. "The rest of the planet is still very much under distress. It could take years before Jaridia is as strong as it once was."

"What about the rest of your territory around the galaxy?" Da'an asked. "What will happen there?"

"The warlords will continue to control it…for now," Balvak said.

"Well, the warlords can't be too happy about this shift in power," Tay'jay said.

"As far as we know, they have not been informed of the shift," Geris said. "It takes years to send information out there."

"Are you certain of this?" Da'an asked. "It did not take long for them to receive news of the bounty the Synod has placed on me."

"Even if they do know about the disposal of the high council, there's nothing we can do about it," Balvak said. "The situation is too dangerous here. We lack the amount of forces to take care of the warlords and Jaridia at the same time."

"I very much doubt that," Tay'jay muttered.

"I know what you're thinking," Geris said. "Since we have been able to push you as far out as the Milky Way Galaxy, you assume that we do have the manpower to handle the warlords and the situation here. What you do not know is that those troops are controlled by the warlords."

"The high council put millions of soldiers in the hands of the warlords as their empire grew," Da'an explained. "But seeing as the warlords were controlled by the council, I doubt those soldiers will remain loyal to the hierarchy."

"So you take care of matters here, and then you just hope that the warlords stay where they are," Hubble surmised. "Not much of a strategy."

"If you can think of a better one considering the resources we have, I'd like to hear it," Balvak said bitterly.

Geris darted a scornful look in his brother's direction.

"I…apologize," Balvak said inhaling deeply. He opened the door to the council floor. "Please enter."

Suddenly a group of armed Jaridian soldiers stopped the group in their tracks. Tay'jay could see the hierarchy had been apprehended too.

"What's the meaning of this?" Hubble cried.

"This is an intervention, human," said a deep voice from afar.

A group of twelve Jaridians appeared from the other side of the room. The soldiers forced Hubble and the others to the center of the room with the rest of the prisoners.

"You son of a bitch," Tay'jay whispered to Balvak. "You know you really had us going there for a moment. I was actually ready to trust your lying, cheating ass too."

"These aren't our troops," Balvak said between his teeth.

"Then, whose are they?" Auger interrogated.

"Well, well, well. See how the tables have turned," one of the twelve leaders said. It was Dujak. That was all that Tay'jay needed to see that Balvak had been telling the truth. These were soldiers of the warlords. Dujak reached and grabbed Da'an by her hair. "How does it feel to be made a fool of?"

An unseen force pushed Dujak, freeing Da'an from his grip. In a rage, Dujak struck Da'an, knocking her unconscious. Tay'jay rushed to attack Dujak but a pair of soldiers stopped him. They forced his hands behind his back and pushed him towards Dujak.

"You're quite the little con-artist, aren't you, boy?" Dujak whispered.

"Don't call me boy. I'm older than your grandmother, scumbag," Tay'jay sneered.

"That's good," Dujak chuckled. "You'll be easier to break. Take them to the bunker below and keep them there. The high council's going to make some changes to your precious Lillian Contract, and then you're all going to sign it.

"This isn't over," Geris growled to Dujak.

"You are absolutely correct," Dujak retorted. "Let the games begin."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: The Escape Artist

Da'an regained consciousness in a large fortified green structure. All of the leaders were sitting on thick black benches with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

"What happened?" she groaned, more out of frustration than pain.

"Well, let me put it this way," Auger said, helping her sit up. "You remember that long talk we had about whether or not the warlords knew that we'd overthrown the council? They know."

"Now, they've got us all locked in this bunker while they butcher the Lillian Contract page by page," Hubble said. "You sure picked one hell of a place to force me to go."

"Be glad," Da'an said. "At least you are not dead. If they did not need us to sign that altered contract, you would be."

"Why do they need us to sign it so bad?" Tay'jay said. "Who cares whether or not we sign it?"

"That contract could be of some good use to them, especially if they make the kind of alterations I think they will," Boren said.

"What kind of alterations are you referring to?" Hubble asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sharak asked. "Think about it. Why didn't you receive a distress signal from your soldiers? Why haven't they been dealt with?"

Tay'jay sighed. "They're gonna force us into an alliance with them."

"Exactly," Sharak said. "Don't think humanity can get away so easily with aiding our arch enemies. And to top that off, when we try to make peace with you, you shoot down our ambassadors."

"What better way to get back at the Taelons but with their own allies?" Kunik asked. "They'll force humanity and the Espelons into signing over all of their troops to the Jaridians. Then they will attack the Taelons from all sides at once. The perfect strategy."

"With just one flaw," Hubble said. "I don't represent the world. I represent America. That's just one country, one part of humanity."

"One very rich, highly upstanding, and very powerful country with enough weapons, soldiers and resources to influence the whole world," Da'an said. "Your country won your allies two world wars. Who is going to oppose an alliance you sign into, especially against a species whose popularity with humanity has dropped considerably?"

"The president won't agree to this treaty, and neither will Congress," Hubble said.

"But they will agree to a sob story," Tay'jay said. "The Jaridians can make up any story they want to about how a group of patriotic Americans initiated a peace talk with Jaridians to get their side of the story and were brutally gunned down by a Taelon warship. They have human soldiers to play the saps, Taelon ships belonging to yours truly to create the situation, and an upstanding member of the president's cabinet to seal the deal."

"I'm guessing that's probably how they'll get rid of us after we sign the Lillian Contract," Kunik said. "They'll pile us and a group of American soldiers into a ship and destroy us with your warship, Tay'jay."

"They send the remains back home, with a cute story about how their last wish was that the Jaridians ally with humanity since they are friends, and there you have it," Boren said. "I couldn't have planned it better myself."

"How do you guys know all of this?" Auger asked.

"Reason number one: it was a part of their original strategy when they sent Lili and Vorjak to Earth on their peace mission," Sharak said. "Reason number two: if we were in their situation, we'd do the exact same thing."

"Well can we get out of here?" Tay'jay asked. "It's cold down here, it's damp, and I really don't like any of you."

"Annoying selfish little…" Hubble mumbled to himself. The last part had been deliberately indiscernible.

"Well, the first step is to get us out of these cuffs," Kunik said. "Does anyone have a small pointed object?"

"I have a better idea," Da'an said. In an instant, she was gone.

"What the…!" cried Balvak.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," Tay'jay said.

"Forgot about it? What the hell was that?" Auger asked.

"That's Da'an being a show-off," Hubble said. "I think her new emotions are going to her head."

"Well, what do you expect? Look who she hangs out with," Tay'jay said, pointing to himself and Hubble.

"Don't try to associate me with that train wreck," Hubble said.

"This 'train wreck' is going to get you out of here," Da'an shot back from the end of the bunker. Somehow, she was free of her cuffs as well.

The Jaridians were speechless.

"How-How did you…How did you do that?" Kunik stuttered.

"Are you kidding?" Tay'jay asked him.

"I sure as the stars was not asking you," Kunik retorted.

"Cool it," Da'an said. "I teleported outside. There are six Jaridian replicants guarding this bunker."

"And not one of them saw you?" Sharak asked. "That's pretty good."

"How did you get out of those cuffs so fast?" Auger asked.

"Stand perfectly still," she told him.

The chain on Auger's cuffs began to rattle. Fear surfaced in Auger and he tried to stand, but something powerful held him down. Suddenly, one of the links in the chain broke and Auger was free.

"And that, dear friends, is why the Taelons stopped using chains to hold cuffs together," Da'an said triumphantly.

"Oh yeah. You are definitely a bad influence on her," Auger said to Tay'jay.

"So sue me," Tay'jay retorted. "Any plans on how to get the rest of us out of here, sister?"

"Uh…well, that's actually a problem," Da'an said hesitantly.

"What kind of problem?" Hubble asked sternly.

"Teleportation of multiple objects requires a great deal of concentration, and…so far I can only take two with me at a time," Da'an said uneasily. "If I escape, I can only take two of you with me."

"I'll go," Geris said, standing up to confirm that he was volunteering.

The others were less enthusiastic.

"Sorry, but I have enough problems with portalling," Hubble said.

"Well, that's good because I do not need you to go with me," Da'an said. "I am taking Auger."

"What!" Auger cried. "Why me?"

"Because you are a hacker, and you are of use to me," Da'an said.

"But do you seriously need me? I mean surely there are some good Taelon hackers—"

"I wasn't asking you, Auger."

"Uh…that completely came out the wrong way, Da'an," Auger said awkwardly.

Da'an sighed. "Men. Only one thing on their minds, no matter what species." She thrust her hand at Geris's cuffs. The links of his chain shattered.

"Don't take his dirty mind out on me," Geris said innocently.

"Um, what's the plan?" Hubble asked before this got completely off subject.

"Sooner or later, our soldiers are going to become anxious. They will wonder why we have not tried to contact them," Da'an said. "If that has not happened already, we need to get to them before the warlords do. If it has happened, we need to set them free. Should the latter occur, I may need Auger."

"You want me to hack into a Jaridian security grid and bust a bunch of soldiers out of prison?" Auger summarized. "You do know that I don't understand a wink of Jaridian."

"I'll help you," Geris said to him. "I will also protect you if anything goes wrong. Besides, it may not even come to that."

"All right, beam me up Scotty," Auger told Da'an.

"Scotty was a guy, Auger," Da'an said rolling her eyes. When Auger didn't respond, Da'an sighed and took both Geris and Auger's hands.

There was a brilliant flash of white light, and they were all gone.

"Considering she's only had those powers for a month, I'm wondering what it'll be like a year from now," Tay'jay said to Hubble. "That'll be awesome."

"I'm glad one of us is enthusiastic about this," Hubble said. "As far as I'm concerned, those powers are a problem. Those powers make her a loose cannon."

"You haven't known a lot of Taelons in the six years they've been on Earth, have you?" Tay'jay asked.

Hubble shook his head.

* * *

Ta'lay was in Da'an's quarters taking care of Ariel, unaware of the commotion going on downstairs. He had just finished feeding and changing Ariel. Now he was sitting at the end of a long rug in between the furniture and the bed watching the little infant crawl and, every now and then, attempt to stand and walk. Whenever she fell, Ariel would just coo and laugh. The rug on which she was trying to walk was so soft that it felt like she was falling on a marshmallow every time she tripped. Ta'lay had never had any children, and he never planned on it. Ta'lay was one of the few Taelons that did not believe in parenting. He was often too wrapped up in his work to think about children. The closest he ever came to caring for children was during times like this when he had to check on them or watch them for a few hours while the parents were gone. He knew just as well as other Taelons that rearing a Taelon child did not require as much time as it would rearing a human child, but Ta'lay had not been reared in a conventional Taelon parenting manner. Ta'lay had been born in a community of Taelons that believed in a collective development. They believed that even though the parents created the child, it should be the responsibility of the community as a whole to rear children. That was how Ta'lay was raised, and that was what he believed. However, the Taelon race as a whole did not embrace those values, and Ta'lay decided to hold off raising children until he could be free to raise them the same way his community had raised him.

A knock on the door interrupted Ta'lay's train of thought. "It's open," he cried while beckoning for Ariel to come to him.

A bulky, black man with blue eyes entered. He was wearing a Taelon military uniform that Ta'lay had not seen in years.

"I thought Da'an might be here," he said disappointedly.

"She's at the negotiations," Ta'lay said.

"I thought she was too," he said, "but I checked the council room and they said the negotiations had been postponed."

"Postponed?" Ta'lay asked. "That's impossible."

"Well, maybe I heard wrong, or maybe the soldier heard wrong," he said.

"Maybe," Ta'lay replied. "Are you Ar'ron?"

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I could sense it in your eyes," Ta'lay said, placing Ariel on the center of the bed and showing Ar'ron inside. "I did not imagine a black man's façade."

"The lieutenant who gave his DNA to me was black," Ar'ron said. "His name is Darius. He was the only one that wasn't afraid to talk to us when we first went to Earth."

"Interesting," Ta'lay said examining the features of Ar'ron's body. "Well, that is Ariel over there. I am Ta'lay."

"I know who you are," Ar'ron said. "You were Ne'eg's protégé. Are the rumors about him true?"

"Which ones?"

"The bad ones."

"Yes…he was, and no, I do not know that because I tried to sleep with him. He…told me," Ta'lay said. "He told anyone close to him. After he'd tell someone, we would never speak of it again."

"That explains why he never had children, but why didn't he after he became asexual?"

"Like many Taelons, he just lost all desire to do it."

"I didn't mean to bring it up. I was just curious," Ar'ron said apologetically.

"It's all right," Ta'lay said. "He was a good person. I just wish I could have been there to say goodbye when he died. I was working in London when I just…sensed it." He blushed blue.

Ariel's squealing startled Ta'lay back into awareness and he walked over to the bed to pick her up.

"What about Da'an?"

"What about her?" Ta'lay asked bouncing Ariel up and down on his knee to keep her entertained.

"Did the priests really steal her memories?" Ar'ron asked.

"As far as I know, they did. She does not talk about it much. I think there is still a lot she cannot remember. I often hear her talking to Tay'jay about gaps in her memory. They've been trying to fill them as best they can, I suppose."

"So she doesn't remember me," Ar'ron said to himself. He sighed and blushed. "She was to be with me, you know. We were to be together."

Ta'lay stopped bouncing Ariel. "I…I never knew that."

"I was the first one to become attracted to her. I was the first one who wanted her, but I was an idiot when I was young. I never knew what to do with my feelings, so I teased her. She hated me for it too. As I got older, it was worse. Imagine the most inarticulate Taelon in the universe, and then multiply it times two. That would've been me. Everything I said came out wrong to her."

"Knowing her, it probably just came out wrong because she wanted nothing to do with you."

"Probably. Then, there was this one time I dared her to climb a cliff. She did it too, but she slipped coming back down. Then, I climbed up and grabbed her. After that, she started letting me get closer to her, and…then, one day…" Ar'ron blushed.

"That sounds sweet," Ta'lay said.

"We romanced together for a long time. We made plans together. But when she turned sixteen, she and Ma'el went to the priests. He returned, but she never did. I talked to Tay'jay, and he told me that the priests had selected her to train with them. I waited for years, training in the rites of Pa'dar, disciplining my mind, body, and soul, and hoping that each passing day would be the day she returned to me. She never did. When my training was complete, I asked Tay'jay and Ma'el about it. All Tay'jay told me was that she was no longer akin to him. Ma'el just walked away. He wouldn't even look at me. Several years later, I had heard that she had been elected to a position in the Synod. Of course by the time I got to her, she had been betrothed to Quo'on and was pregnant with Zo'or. She looked at me as if I was no different than any warrior she had seen. I meant nothing to her."

Ta'lay nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, her betrothal to Quo'on was arranged."

"I know that. Everyone knows that. I thought that she would remember me now though. I thought I'd have a chance with her again. But when she and Tay'jay finally reunited after all of these years, she still didn't recognize me. I was still no one but a lingering shadow to her."

"I have always wondered what happened to her those many years she was gone," Ta'lay said. "I know many Taelons have either forgotten about it, or do not question it, but…I have always wondered."

"More are dead than you think," Ar'ron said. "When our planet was destroyed, an entire generation of Taelons was wiped out: mine and Da'an's generation. I wouldn't be surprised if Da'an, Tay'jay, and me were the only ones left. Tay'jay and I are the oldest Espelons in his clan. That's why we're ranked so high. I don't know anyone else as old as us."

"Well, T'than is as old as Da'an," Ta'lay said. "Ba'hor and Xia'tan are older I think. Everyone else is younger. I know no scientists, doctors, or mathematicians that age. Most of them are my age. The last one around your age was Ne'eg, I think. I suppose you are right. There probably is no one else."

"I just want to be able to talk to her," Ar'ron said. "Maybe if I talk to her we can figure it out, but…she's with that human now. It's not fair. She was mine. She doesn't belong with him. She barely knows him."

"She barely knows you, as far as she's concerned," Ta'lay said. "You should not let this get to you. If you continue this way, it will become an obsession. There are plenty of Taelons and Espelons who would love to have you."

A flash of light appeared in the room. Ar'ron stood in front of Ta'lay to protect him from whatever it was. When the light receded, Auger, Da'an and Geris appeared. Ariel squealed with delight and wriggled out of Ta'lay's arms to crawl to Da'an. Da'an picked her up and let her wrap her arms around her neck.

"For someone who does not know her way around this building, you certainly returned us to the right place with great ease," Geris complimented.

"It is not a problem so long as I know the destination," Da'an said.

"Then, how'd you teleport out the bunker?" Auger asked. "You were unconscious when they hauled you in."

"Honestly? I guessed," Da'an admitted. "I figured about twenty meters was a good estimate."

Auger and Geris exchanged humorous looks and shook their heads.

Ta'lay's chuckle broke their conversation. He and Da'an exchanged winks. After all, it was with him and Tay'jay that she spent most of her time working with to control her newfound gifts. A brilliant blue wave fluttered throughout Ar'ron's body that caught Da'an's attention. He tried to speak, but he found that his motor functions had temporarily ceased.

"Who are you?" she asked Ar'ron.

And he was crushed once again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Beloved

Mi'en had been pacing around the soldiers' quarters waiting for some word from Da'an or Tay'jay. However, nothing had come through.

"Mi'en, I'm all for exercise, but if you could just quit pacing like a damn pigeon waiting for me to throw breadcrumbs at you!" one of the humans cried.

"Can it!" Mi'en shot back.

"Ooo. Someone's getting awfully angry," the same human taunted.

"Give her a break man," Darius told him. "You don't know about her?"

"Know what?" the human asked.

Darius whispered into his ear. Then, the soldier nodded and told Mi'en to disregard his last statement.

"I'll admit Mi'en has a point," a female Espelon said. "We haven't heard from Da'an or Tay'jay all morning."

"Maybe the negotiations were really postponed," a Jaridian soldier said.

"I doubt it. Someone from the higher ups would've told us something by now," Darius said.

"What are you thinking?" a Taelon asked him.

"I'm thinking about calling those squadrons we sent out this morning on perimeter back here," Darius said. "There may be a problem with the negotiations."

"I would not be surprised if the negotiations never took place," Mi'en said anxiously. "Something foul is going on here. I think we should try to radio Da'an again."

"We've tried five times now. All we get is static," Darius said.

"What about Tay'jay or Mr. Urick?"

"Same deal."

"Something is wrong. We need to get to the high council building now."

"I agree with her," another Jaridian said. "We have not received word from Balvak or Geris in over six hours. I know they would have radioed us if the negotiations were starting. That is why they asked us to stay here. They wanted us to secure the meeting room and the representatives."

"Well we've gotta do something," Darius said.

"Oh, I don't think you'll be doing anything," a Jaridian from afar cried.

Several soldiers of the warlords poured into the entrance of the quarters and forced the entire group to get down on their knees and place their hands on their heads.

Darius sighed. "So, it was a trap. You guys are a piece of work."

"We had nothing to do with this," one of Balvak's soldiers said.

"In the name of the high council and the governing warlords, you are under arrest," the leading Jaridian warlord said. "You will be confined to quarters until such time when the Lillian Contract is signed under our terms."

"Your terms?" Mi'en inquired. "You have no authority to redraw that treaty. The high council was forced from power. All the members were court-martialed. They have no status."

"In a few hours, that will be of no concern to you," the warlord told her.

* * *

Da'an gazed deeply into Ar'ron's eyes, but she found nothing. She found no face, no voice and no identity for this man. He was a total stranger to her. 

"Da'an…" Ta'lay said, "…this is Ar'ron."

"Do you know this man?" Geris asked her.

That name! She remembered him from Tay'jay's ship. But there was something else…something distant. She could feel bits and pieces of memory surfacing, but they made no sense to her. The more she tried to sort through the pieces and form a coherent memory—a face even—the more lost she became. She had to stop. "He is Tay'jay's commander."

"Is that all you remember?" Ta'lay asked.

"Am…I supposed to know more?" Da'an fabricated.

Ar'ron sighed. "No…I guess not. We weren't properly introduced last time, and since then, I've never had a chance to speak with you alone. I'm Ar'ron Catadan. I was Tay'jay's best friend growing up."

"It's a pleasure to meet you…finally," Da'an chuckled, trying to make some sort of humor out of this awkward situation.

Da'an went on to introduce Geris and Auger to Ar'ron. When they shook hands, the mood turned more urgent.

"I thought you were supposed to be at the negotiations," Ta'lay said.

"The negotiations have been cancelled…forcibly," Da'an said.

"A bunch of soldiers of the Jaridian warlords took us and hauled us into the bunker," Auger said. "Da'an could only teleport me and Geris with her."

"I am aware of the current extent of Da'an's teleportation powers," Ta'lay said sharply.

"We believe that these soldiers will confine ours to their quarters as well," Da'an said. "We need to free them."

"The soldiers were split into squadrons this morning by Balvak's commanders," Ta'lay said. "Most of them are out in the field."

"The warlords will round them up as they come," Geris said. "It must be what the warlords are waiting for. We can use that window to warn those on the field of the situation and free the current detainees."

"I do not think that is what the warlords are waiting for," Da'an said.

"What do you mean?" Geris asked.

"The warlords have no authority to redraw the Lillian Contract, but the council members do, especially if they are freed and reinstated," Da'an said. "The warlords are waiting for the council members to rewrite the contact."

"And they could also be waiting for more reinforcements," Geris realized. "Our soldiers are everywhere in the Citadel. They will not back down without a fight."

"Then, a battle is ensuing on the steps of the Citadel," Ta'lay surmised, "a battle that I do not believe we can win. With the insurgents and the warlord's soldiers by their side, the high council will trample us. The civil war will start all over again."

"I'm sorry," Geris told Da'an. "I never should have dragged you into this."

Da'an shook her head. "We may need to do away with the warlords and the high councilmen. However, I am not ready to do that, and I am especially not ready to force you and your people to do that."

"Let's focus on freeing our soldiers and the representatives," Geris told her. "We will consider that option again when the situation becomes more desperate."

"How do we free them?" Auger asked. "The warlord's soldiers are all over this place."

"Well that's easy enough," Ta'lay said. "Create a diversion and draw the soldiers away from quarters."

"Did you bring your holographic technology?" Da'an asked Auger.

"Are you kidding me? I bring everything," Auger said.

"Then it shouldn't be a problem," Da'an told him with a grin. Auger shrugged and raced into his room through the adjoining door to grab his stuff. Da'an gave Ariel to Ta'lay. "I don't know exactly where I can send you both that is out of harm's way."

"There is a secret military installation on the third moon," Geris said. "My wife is there. She will be happy to take you both in."

"I didn't know you had a wife," Ta'lay said.

"In order to keep her safe, I tell few about her. The location of the shelter is uncharted. One of my people will fly you there when we free them. Until then, remain here, and let no one in. If we need you, Da'an can teleport here."

"We will be fine," Ta'lay said opening the door for them to leave.

Auger returned with his things and locked both adjoining doors in Da'an's room. Then, he quickly patted Ariel on the head and followed the others outside.

"Be careful," Ta'lay told them all.

"Lock this door behind us, Ta'lay," Da'an said firmly.

Ariel was reaching for Da'an the whole time. Long after Ta'lay had closed and locked the door, Ariel was still reaching for her.

* * *

Auger stopped Da'an as they were rushing down the emergency exit stairs of the high council building. 

"So is that why you were considering leaving her here?" he panted as he followed her. "Because Geris told you about his wife?"

"It was one of the reasons, yes," Da'an said in a low voice.

"You still thinking about it?" Auger asked.

"She is safer there, and she is guaranteed a family that will love her and cherish her," Da'an said. "Of course I am still considering it."

"She can get that just as well with you. Da'an, she wants you. I can see it in her eyes. Whenever you leave, she gets all teary-eyed. Whenever you come back, she turns goofy-happy."

"This is not the appropriate time or place to discuss this," Da'an said waving her hand to indicate they were finished.

They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, more so to let Auger catch his breath than anything else.

"How do you all run that fast that long?" he huffed, staggering as he tried to remove his gear.

"I am a soldier, Auger," Geris said. "It's what they train me to do."

"So what now?" Ar'ron asked Da'an.

"Can you create a holographic projection of us?" Da'an asked Auger.

"You mean some kind of holographic simulation of you guys to throw the Jaridians off guard?" Auger asked, still trying to catch his breath. "I'll be able to once my legs stop shaking."

"Then, we will use that to lure the Jaridians away from the cells. If enough follow our holograms, freeing the prisoners should not be a problem," Da'an said.

"But…" Auger huffed, "there's one problem. My travel tech only works in short distances. We'll have to put the projection somewhere close to the soldiers, too close maybe."

"That will not be a problem," Da'an told him.

"What if not enough soldiers follow the bait?" Geris asked.

"I do not know," Da'an said uneasily.

"You don't know!" cried Geris.

"Listen, I will grant you that I am smart, but I am not omniscient," Da'an said firmly. "I don't have all the answers. If I did, I would do this all myself."

"Oh great," Geris muttered. "Well, I think we should at least have a backup plan in case this flops."

"You do have a backup plan," Ar'ron said. "Me."

* * *

Once Auger had completed the holographic image, he handed a portable projector to Da'an. Outside, they dodged the guards by ducking in and out of dark sidewalks behind buildings. The entire Citadel was swarming with the warlord' militia. In the sky, they could see ships bringing more and more troops and their warlords. Perhaps that was what the council was waiting for. They did not want to make any provisions on the contract until all the warlords had arrived. However, anyone's guess on exactly what the warlords were waiting for was mere speculation. Everyone had their theories, some better than others, but the tactics of the warlords were full of uncertainty. It was almost as if they were purposely taking long to intimidate the captured representatives through anxious anticipation. They could only guess on the status of the soldiers outside the Citadel, but it was clear that another battle was about to begin on the streets of the Citadel. The Lillian Contract would be signed over blood. Perhaps it was appropriate. 

When they made it to the soldiers' barracks, Da'an was the first to go in. She crept down the halls with her back against the wall to avoid getting attacked from behind. In her hands was the projector. She finally came to a large group of Jaridian soldiers. She knew this was where the prisoners were being kept. She had to use her telekinetic abilities to push the projector on the ceiling. It floated high above the guards and finally wedged between a set of pipes about ten feet from the entrance. Then, she called the others to meet her at her location.

When Geris, Ar'ron and Auger met her, they rushed into an empty room.

"Those guards are stupid," Ar'ron said. "They all crowd around guarding one area when they should be guarding every nook and cranny of this building."

"Their numbers are too few to do that right now," Geris said, "but if more soldiers are arriving after the ships that landed outside, then soon there will be soldiers guarding every nook and cranny of this entire _Citadel_."

"All right," Da'an said. "We are still quite far from the prisoners, meaning that this is going to be close. Auger, can your remote reach the holo-projector from where I placed it?"

"Let me check," Auger said, carefully sneaking outside the room. He pressed a button on the remote. It was far away, but Auger could see a tiny red light indicating the projector was on and ready for use. "I got it."

"Keep the door open and activate the hologram," Da'an said.

Most of the guards were bobbing their heads trying to keep boredom from ensuing. Suddenly, four people—a Jaridian, a human and two Espelons—yelled at them and fired shots at them. The general sent ten of his guards to follow them. It worked. The ten guards blazed past the real group that was still hidden in the room and continued their blind pursuit down the hall.

"I can't believe they fell for that," Da'an said, still not believing it as she said it.

"Not bad either," Ar'ron said. "You cut the number down to half."

"Auger, stay here," Geris told Auger firmly.

"Hey, I may not be used to fighting, but that doesn't mean I can't," Auger said.

"Do as he says, Auger," Da'an said. "We need a look-out just in case the other guards return."

Auger nodded reluctantly. "All right. But be careful." He reached outside and deactivated the holograph before it could loop back to the beginning.

Ar'ron, Geris and Da'an rushed outside and fired at the rest of the guards.

"What treachery is this?" cried the warlord.

"I'd prefer the term 'deception,'" Da'an said lightly.

The warlord felt a huge force strike him in the stomach and on the ground when Da'an thrust her hand forward. The other guards lifted their weapons to fire when Ar'ron, with a loud yell, smashed his fist into the ground. A tectonic wave shook the ground under the guards and forced them on their backs. A giant dent was left in the floor where Ar'ron's fist had hit. Geris wasted no time running in and knocking the guards unconscious with his shaquarava one by one. The warlord tried to stand but was thrust upward. He found himself suspended in the air with no one holding him and no strings attached to him. When he looked down, he saw the one who had knocked him down grinning at him with her hand in the form of a grip as if she was holding someone.

"You are a psychic!" he cried. "You deceptive little cold-blooded reptile!"

"Considering your complexion, I believe the last thing you should be calling anyone is a reptile," Da'an said. "You look like a reasonable warlord, so I will make you a deal. You will remain suspended in the air. I will begin crushing you. When you get the urge to tell me where the members of the high council are and what they are planning to do with the Lillian Contract, yell 'mercy,' and I will stop."

"You dare to try to intimidate me, you worthless Taelon scum?" yelled the warlord. "You do not have the nerve. You are far too intelligent to reduce yourself to that level."

"This may surprise you, Jaridian, but even we Taelons are capable of frequent lapses in judgment. So if anyone asks, this was one of those times." With that, Da'an slowly and stiffly closed her fingers into a fist.

The Jaridian felt his whole body become stiffer and more compact. This strange, unseen force was crushing his bones. A strained yell came from his lips, but no cries for mercy.

"You know, I can wait just as long as you," Da'an said, over the yells.

The painful sensation reached his neck and began strangling him. He instinctive tried to place his hands around his neck as if that vain attempt would shield the powerful force. Da'an pushed his will as far as she was willing to let herself, and still he didn't break. She released the strain on his neck, but she refused to let him go.

Mi'en saw Da'an in the battle of wills with the Jaridian. As she got closer to her friend, she heard a limb of the Jaridian's snap.

"Da'an!" she cried.

Da'an shook her head and released him. "I'm sorry, Mi'en. I had to try."

"It's okay," Mi'en said smiling. "We'll get the information ourselves."

Ar'ron finished clearing the rest of the prisoners out. They were following Geris outside of the barracks.

"Da'an, what's going on?" he asked, eyeing the warlord, who was struggling to stand.

Da'an rolled her eyes, sneering at her own pity, and went to help the warlord stand. "You are coming with us," she told him firmly.

"I knew you didn't have it in you to kill me," the warlord said. "You pathetic Taelons are all the same. Weak and spineless!" He pulled out an energy knife hidden under his clothing and stabbed Da'an in the shoulder.

"You son of a bitch!" Ar'ron yelled. He tackled the Jaridian warlord and struck him with all his strength. When the warlord had yet to lose consciousness, he hit him again. "You think it's funny to pick on Taelons? Did you find that amusing!"

Mi'en tried to pulled Ar'ron off the Jaridian. "Stop it, Ar'ron! You'll kill him!"

"You sha'bra! You slimy piece of intergalactic sha'bra!" Ar'ron yelled, striking the Jaridian with all his might. The Jaridian had long since lost consciousness.

"Ar'ron, get off him! He's not worth it!" Mi'en yelled. "You are a Taelon! You're civilized! You can't do this! You're better than this!"

A strange memory struck Da'an during all the commotion. There were two Taelons practicing their climbing skills for the _kaar'paaj_ ritual. The mountains in this range were nowhere near as tall as the range used by many Taelons for the _kaar'paaj_ ritual, but they were good enough for practice. The Taelons reached a cliff that was about a thousand feet from the peak and they sat to take a rest.

You are going to be a strong Taelon.

How do you know that?

You've been doing the _kaar'paaj_ ritual since you were old enough to start. Anyone who can successfully conduct the ritual annually like you is destined to be strong.

I think you are strong too.

I am not nearly as strong as you, Ar'ron. I was never built to be athletic.

You do not have to be athletic to be strong.

That is not what you told me when I was three.

I was a kid then. What did I know? The _kaar'paaj_ ritual is about renewing an _inner_ strength, not a physical strength. You are strong inside, even when you do not believe you are or others do not believe you are. You have endurance and stamina. That is why you will make a great leader.

Ma'el thinks so too.

You know you should not worry about him so much. He is going to be fine.

You do not know him as I do. He is afraid of something. I know it. He will not tell me what it is. He says that I should just enjoy my time with you because…

Because what?

Because I will never have it again. That is what he said.

What does he know? It is not like he can see the future.

No…of-of course not.

I think we will have a fine future together.

Warriors do not mate with diplomats.

But Pa'dar warriors do, and that is what I am going to be.

It takes years of training and mental concentration to become a Pa'dar warrior. You have to have a quiet dignity, a maturity that enables you to know when and when not to use physical violence. It takes a…

Strength from within, right?

Right.

You do not think I have that?

You could if you had patience.

I can learn patience from you. You seem to have enough for the both of us. That is why I know we have a bright future together, right beloved?

"Beloved…"

"Ar'ron, let him go!" Mi'en pleaded.

"Beloved!"

Ar'ron stopped what he was doing immediately and faced Da'an.

"Please…let him go," Da'an told him quietly. "Look at him. He is too cowardly to die."

Ar'ron was still panting from the immense rush that had pushed him over the edge. He turned to face the Jaridian to get a good look at what he had done, but his vision was blurry. All he could see was the Jaridian's blood all over his knuckles.

"Patience," Da'an told him.

Ar'ron was stunned when he heard that from her. "You…remember." He took a deep breath, stood on his feet and backed away from the Jaridian.

Mi'en dropped on her knees to examine him. His nose was clearly broken, and the lacerations and bruises covered so much of his face that he was barely recognizable. Mi'en checked to make sure he was still breathing. It was shallow, but she could hear it. "He's alive."

Da'an and Ar'ron both sighed.

"We need to get him to an infirmary," Mi'en said. She glared at Ar'ron. "You stupid fool! We needed him! We could have gotten information from him or at least names! You shouldn't have done this!"

"I'm sorry," Ar'ron said. "I don't know…what came over me."

"You're a Pa'dar warrior! You're taught discipline and patience! You're only supposed to use violence in self-defense, not aggression!" Mi'en cried angrily. "You're reckless. You have forsaken the names of hundreds of disciplined warriors who took years out of their lives to learn dignity and grace."

"Mi'en, leave him alone!" Da'an defended. "It was an impulse. It could happen to anyone. Just be glad he's still alive."

"I cannot believe you're defending this man," Mi'en said. "Where's your sense of respect for those warriors?"

"My brother is one of those warriors. Don't you dare tell me about respect!" Da'an said aggressively. "Take him, and let's leave before the other soldiers return. Where's Auger?"

Auger was standing in the distance with a stunned look. They knew he had seen everything. He slowly walked towards Da'an and helped her stand. "Uh…you should…get that looked at."

"I will be fine," Da'an said. "Ar'ron, take him. On your feet, Mi'en."

She rose and watched Ar'ron heave the fallen Jaridian over his shoulders. "You know, Ar'ron, if the Taelon species had nothing else, at least we had discipline."

"What discipline? You mean your passive-aggressive strategy to slowly dig your heels in the human race and turn them into a bunch of puppets? Was leaving us on our own fallen planet to die like wild dogs what you define as discipline? This bastard may not deserve to die, but we can at least give him credit on one observation: the Taelons are and always will be spineless, lying, cheating, vile, cowardly scum, who flee from their enemy only to ravage lesser species like swarms of locusts."

A loud thud silenced them both. Da'an had fired a bolt of telekinetic energy into a wall in frustration. "Let's…go…now!"

They followed Da'an in the direction Geris had fled with their soldiers.

"He was really gonna do it, wasn't he?" Auger asked Da'an.

"I can't say that I blame him. With a Jaridian that ego-centric, I was ready to do it too," Da'an said.

"But you didn't. What's the deal between you two anyway?"

"I don't remember," Da'an said.

Auger paused for a moment in complete confusion, but he shrugged it off and ran to catch up with them. Geris was waiting for them at the exit with the other soldiers.

"What took you all so long?" he asked.

They all stared at each other and then at Geris. "Nothing," Da'an said for them.

"Nothing? Then, what happened to the warlord?" Geris inquired. "And what happened to your shoulder?"

"It was nothing!" they all said sternly and simultaneously.

Geris put his hands up innocently and let it go.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Lust

Geris asked two of his soldiers to lead Ar'ron in the direction of the infirmary. The rest of the soldiers followed Geris and Da'an to the hierarchy's building to hide out.

"Where's the hierarchy's private hanger?" Da'an asked Geris.

"In the basement. There's an underground tunnel that leads outside the Citadel where small ships can escape."

Da'an nodded. "Meet me down there. I need three of your soldiers to escort me back to my room."

"Is the basement secure enough to hide from the warlords?" Darius asked.

"The Jaridian government has long had a history of keeping secrets from its own branches. Even the high council doesn't know about the secret hanger," Geris said. "Kunik supervised renovating the whole area. Everyone who knows about it is right here."

The other soldiers nodded in confirmation.

"Then, once you get back, Da'an, let's stay there and figure out what to do about this coup," Darius said.

"All right," Da'an said, and she left with the three volunteer Jaridians.

Darius ordered his men to stand guard and wait for Da'an and Ar'ron's return. They were to call him if they saw any suspicious activity.

"She should really get that shoulder looked at," Darius told Geris. "It's an open would, and it's pretty big. How does she stand it?"

"Energy species, especially those at the Taelon and Espelon level of evolution, have more control over their voluntary and involuntary functions than most species," Geris said. "My guess is that she's dulled the receptors which perceive pain. I just wish she'd explain what happened back there."

"She may like you, and you may like her, but you two represent two species who have been long enemies. She may be more tolerant than most Taelons, but she's still got that old prejudice within her. She's not quite ready to trust you yet," Darius said.

"How do you know that?" Geris asked.

"Because I feel the same way about her and the rest of these Taelons and Espelons."

Geris chuckled wryly.

* * *

"Ar'ron is not a terrible person, Da'an. You know that," Ta'lay said dressing her wound. "I am sure that he was just worried about you. When he saw you get hurt, he lost control."

"He's obsessed with me, and I don't know why," Da'an said. "I hate this. I want to remember so much. There are so many pieces to fill, but a part of me is afraid of what I will find."

"You are afraid that you will fall in love with him again," Ta'lay said.

"I can't betray Link, Ta'lay, not even for a former mate," Da'an said.

"It's all in the name of love. What is that saying? All's fair in love and war? Well, this is a war, and it's a matter of love."

"That's not funny, Ta'lay," Da'an said.

"I know, and they are both good people. I don't know what to tell you. I am a Taelon. I have never loved anyone. Frankly, I am not quite ready to love anyone yet. However, if you truly love Rembrandt and you truly believe there is something wonderful between you two, go with him. Ar'ron will just have to accept that and move on. He is a powerful man with a warrior's devotion. He would make an exceptional mate for any Espelon. He only needs to realize it."

"Yes, but…when he defended me, something came to me. I felt something for him."

"Was it what you felt for Rembrandt when he first took you?"

"He has not 'taken' me, Ta'lay."

"Then, was it anything like what you feel for him?"

"No…Yes…I don't know. This is all so new to me. I don't know what it's supposed to feel like."

"If humanity's supposed to teach you anything, Da'an, it should have been that things do not always feel the way they are supposed to feel. There is no definitive feeling for love. There is no definition of love. I have observed humans and their culture. If anything, love is different for every person."

"Then, how are they supposed to know?"

"Beats me. Ask Auger. He's a human. He would know."

"Auger doesn't want to talk about that."

"Look Da'an, you felt something strong for Rembrandt. You felt a connection that you have not felt with any human, not even Boone. With Lili, the bond was even deeper and more ethereal. If what you felt for Ar'ron at that key moment was anything like what you felt for either of those two individuals, you owe it to him to at least explore that feeling to determine if it was not just a random moment. If not, remain with Rembrandt, tell Ar'ron to move on, and you can never speak of it again."

"It's not that simple, Ta'lay."

"You are over-analyzing it, Da'an. This situation is no different than the situation with her," Ta'lay said pointing at Ariel who was on the floor with one of the Jaridian soldiers trying to learn how to walk. "When this mess is said and done, you take one long look at Ar'ron, and you take one long look at Ariel. If anything happens, even the slightest thing, you will know. I promise you."

Ariel stood on her two tiny feet and made one big step forward. She tripped and the soldier tried to help her, but Da'an waved him off. Ariel then got up and tried again. She made one big step forward and did not fall. Then, she made another big step and staggered a little, but she did not fall. She made another, but this time she lost her balance. However, she did not fall. She just stumbled all the way into Da'an's arms.

"By the Commonality!" Ta'lay cried. "She just walked! She is only six months old and she walked!"

Ariel was cooing with delight when Da'an lifted her off the floor.

"Ariel, that's so wonderful," Da'an exclaimed. "I am proud of you."

Ariel wrapped her tiny arms around Da'an's neck and laid her head on Da'an's wounded shoulder.

"You want my advice, Da'an? I can't give you any on Ar'ron, but I can give you some for Ariel. Don't give that up," Ta'lay said. "It'll be a mistake to the highest degree of the word."

Da'an blushed and handed Ariel to Ta'lay. "Take good care of her until I come back."

"We'll be waiting," Ta'lay said, ignoring the two motioning Jaridians in the doorway who were in a hurry to leave. He grimly added to himself, "We always are."

* * *

When Geris was certain that Ta'lay and Ariel had made it safely to the hidden colony, he and the soldiers gathered at the center of the hanger. It was actually quite small with only a few ships as small as a Taelon shuttle and the one shuttle Lili had used to flee with Vorjak and Ariel. After the high council was deposed, Kunik had it moved to the hanger. A Taelon and a Jaridian were using it to escort Ta'lay and Ariel safely to the hidden colony. They would return only on Geris's orders. There was a tunnel small enough for the ships to travel through one at a time. Da'an could see the patches of construction where Kunik's workers had been renovating it. According to Geris, the hanger had not been used ever since the civil war started.

"It's pretty clear that the Jaridian warlords are seriously understaffed," Geris told everyone at the meeting. "I believe we have enough soldiers as of now to end their coup, but that's not going to keep. We are down to half our forces. We need to call the others on patrol back here."

"Well, we can't just call them back whenever," Darius, said. "More of those warlords' soldiers are arriving Somebody's bound to see them when they get back."

"I believe our best bet is to leave them be for now," a Taelon told Da'an. "I just received a message from them. Insurgencies are decreasing along the borders. There is no communication between the warlords and the insurgents as of yet. As far as they know, no one outside the Citadel is aware of the goings on. We can use that to our advantage."

"He's right," an Espelon lieutenant said. "The only thing that's not clear is what in the hell these warlords are waiting for."

"We can make any number of guesses, but until we know their strategy for sure, we cannot make any quick movements," Geris said. "One wrong step, and it's the end for all of us."

"Well, we can't just leave our representatives locked in the vault," a Jaridian said. "They could force the representatives to sign the Lillian Contract any time they want. If we wait too long, it might be too late."

"I agree!" another Jaridian soldier shouted.

"He's right!" a Jaridian officer said.

"Is there any way we can free them safely as of now?" Mi'en asked Da'an.

"No. The present warlords are in the high council building on the lower floors. It's too close," Da'an said.

"And after they find out what Ar'ron did to one of their own, they're gonna be looking all over for us," Auger said.

Ar'ron flinched. Da'an buried her head in her hands.

"Oops. Sorry," Auger said, biting his tongue.

"What did Ar'ron do to the warlord?" Geris growled.

Da'an sighed and pulled Geris aside. She did not want the Jaridian soldiers turning against the Espelons. She told Geris the whole story and turned aside to blind herself to his reaction. Geris left Da'an with her arms folded and marched up to Ar'ron's face.

"You are very fortunate that man's not dead," Geris said.

"Geris," Da'an said.

"Do you realize how much you could have compromised the situation?"

"Geris, let it go," Da'an said.

"I'm not defending what I did to you," Ar'ron said to Geris callously. "He stabbed Da'an, a fellow Espelon. He invoked the incident, and I retaliated."

"Next time, retaliate with less force," Geris growled. "You have had that super strength of yours for years, I'm sure. You should know, by now, how to control it."

"This bickering is not getting us anywhere," Da'an said. "The man was unconscious when we dropped him off. I am certain that he will remain that way for quite some time. So, if you two are done casting your egos against each other, we need to determine what to do about these warlords. Now, Dujak must have learned about the Lillian Contract from someone on this planet, which means there is some kind of informant relaying information between the imprisoned high councilmen and the warlords. If the warlords are waiting for anyone, it must be the rest of their fellows. That provides us with a window of opportunity. It will take the rest of the warlords days to get here, right?"

"The warlords have the perfect opportunity to declare martial law and quarantine the entire planet," a Jaridian soldier said.

"Yes, but they lack the forces to do so. When I was taken prisoner, Dujak had only four warlords with him. If each warlord has five hundred troops as we have estimated, that is only 2500. That's not enough to back a martial law mandate. That's only enough to secure the Citadel, and with our troops and the ones outside the Citadel, we can stop them."

"But there are more soldiers arriving by the hour," a Taelon said. "The longer we wait, the more troops arrive just like Geris said."

"It's a risk we can afford to take if we can successfully sever communication between the high councilmen and the warlords. That is where Dujak is getting his information, and it must be why he has remained static so far. He is awaiting their orders. We need to find the informant relaying those orders and sever the link between the warlords and the high council members. That will disorient the warlords; and if the warlords are disoriented, the troops are disoriented. We can ambush the soldiers with everyone we have now and capture the warlords."

"How do you expect to sever the informant?" Geris asked.

"Auger, you have hacked into systems before," Da'an said. "Can you intercept any transmissions between the informant and Dujak?"

"Heck, yeah," Auger said. "That's child's play for a hacker like me."

"The informant probably is making periodic trips between the prison colony where the high councilmen are being kept and the Citadel. All we need to do is sneak aboard his ship and take him down."

"I'll go with you," Ar'ron volunteered quickly.

"Me too," Mi'en said just as quickly. She had the motive of protecting Da'an from Ar'ron.

"All right, man," Darius said enthusiastically. "We got a plan."

"We have another problem," Geris mentioned. "Even if we do capture the warlords, there's no guarantee that they'll recall the troops. The warlords don't crack as easily."

"Which is why we may need to do away with them," Da'an said. "Are your men prepared to do that?"

A long silence filled the hanger with uncertainty.

"If we do it right," a Jaridian said, trying to break the silence, "it may not come to that."

"We're still not strong enough to take 2500 plus troops," a human said.

"The worst odds have been evaded using guerilla tactics," Darius told his men. "And considering how compact this Citadel is, we got the perfect place to do that, especially if we attack at night."

"Good," Da'an said. "Auger, can you monitor the communications from here?"

"Let me see," Auger said, pulling out his global. He opened it and actually attempted to contact the communications building. "Yeah. I'm good. It's got some static, but I'm good. I guess the walls aren't as thick down here."

"They shouldn't be," Geris said. "We had to make it that way to enable communications in an emergency. I'll hold the line here with the men, Da'an. You do what you have to do and send a signal when you can."

* * *

While Auger monitored communications inside the Citadel, the men armed themselves with Jaridian weapons from a secret weapons locker that Geris had found. Two Taelons and two Jaridians maintained constant surveillance of the outside.

Mi'en and Ar'ron were getting ready for their mission and refusing to look at each other.

"You are a fool," Mi'en muttered under her breath.

"You are a _para'shim_," Ar'ron shot back, for he had heard her quite clearly.

"How could you ever have thought that you were worthy enough to have Da'an?" Mi'en asked harshly. "You are a disgrace. You may be a powerful warrior, but you have no honor. You are reckless. You let your petty emotions get in the way of your logic."

"Funny. I thought the opposite was the problem with the Taelons," Ar'ron said.

"The only way for our species to survive is to find a delicate balance between ethics and emotion," Mi'en said. "But you don't care about any of that. You are too busy being selfish, pursuing women who belong to someone else."

"To whom? You? Da'an would never have you in a million years."

"I know, and I don't care. She is my friend. She said she would be my friend no matter what. But she belongs to Link."

"That man stole her from me."

"Do you even hear yourself? Why do you pursue her? Why can't you just let her make her own choice?"

"This is none of your business! She was to be with me, and I love her. I love her more than anything. I've loved her for hundreds of years. I've waited for her just as long as Tay'jay, yet she does not even recognize my existence."

"She's not some prize to be won. What will you do if she takes you over Link? How will you treat her?"

"The same way I treated her when I first started courting her. All I want is my life with her again. I want to live as we did in the old days, simpler times."

"Those days are dead. Acknowledge that and move on. You have better things to do than steal other men's mates. All you do is confuse her and make her miserable. She has been through terrible things, and she is struggling to piece together lost memories from her past. You forcing yourself on her is the last thing she needs."

"I have never forced myself on her."

"Don't give me that sha'bra," Mi'en said sharply. "I know why you volunteered to go with her. You are planning to confront her once and for all with your lustful feelings. What will you do if she rejects you? Will you beat her senseless like you did with that Jaridian?"

"That was a mistake. I would never lay a hand on her, and you know it!"

"I know nothing about you! And neither does she!"

"I don't need to go through you to get to her! How dare you stand between us! All I want is peace, and you plague me with your jealous thoughts and your heartless taunts. Mark my words well, Mi'en. If you stand between me and my passion—"

"Ar'ron!" a sharp female voice cried.

They both turned to see Da'an standing in front of a small Jaridian fighter.

"Um, how long have you been standing there?" Mi'en asked nervously.

"Long enough," she said harshly. "Ar'ron, you dishonor yourself."

Ar'ron hung his head in shame and blushed.

"And Mi'en, you shame yourself with your petty jealousy," Da'an said to her just as harshly.

Mi'en tried to apologize, but Da'an stopped her.

"I am not a prize to be won, especially by the two of you," Da'an said firmly. "If you two cannot get along, I will simply conduct this mission with two others who can."

"No, Da'an," Ar'ron said. "I am sorry for my behavior. I will try to get along with your friend."

Mi'en sighed. "So will I."

"Then that's settled," Da'an said. "Auger believes he has intercepted a conversation between the informant and Dujak. Follow me."

They complied humbly, but the tension between them never ceased.

* * *

"We are growing impatient."

"I am aware of that, but many of these warlords have to cross significantly large distances. It will be another two days before the last arrive and we are fully mobilized."

"We cannot afford to wait another two days, not if what you have told me is true."

"Nalak has yet to have gained consciousness, but I know Geris' men were involved. We have been unable to locate them, and the rest of his soldiers remain on duty."

"Have there been any casualties?"

"None have reported in the last 24 hours."

"There is something amiss here. Are the representatives still captive?"

"They are. We were just about to send them their rations."

"Are all of them there?"

"That vault is strong enough to hold an army of our most powerful replicants. Nothing can get in or out."

"Then, the soldiers are working on their own accord. If you cannot find them in the next twelve hours, haul the representatives in for an emergency session and force each and every one of them to sign our revised Lillian Contract. I am on my way there to give you the revised version."

"But sir, should the warlords not get a chance to check the revisions?"

"I will be there personally to go over them with you, and revise anything that does not appeal to the warlords' likings. However, we must be on alert. I will land outside the Citadel. Meet me in the square of the ruined city in two hours. While you wait, continue your search of the escaped soldiers. You should have killed them all when you had the chance. Once you recapture them, slaughter them like animals."

"Understood. It will be my greatest pleasure."

Auger turned off the feed. "That's pretty much it," he said. "I intercepted this about fifteen minutes ago."

"That voice," Da'an said in a ponderous tone.

"It does sound hauntingly familiar," Geris said to himself. "I don't think that other voice is the informant."

"Well, if it isn't the informant, then it's got to be one of the high councilmen," Auger said. "My question is why would they send one of their own as an informant?"

"If you want something done right…" one Taelon started.

"Here's a better question," Ar'ron said. "How are they able to send one of their own as an informant in such a heavily guarded prison?"

"That's a very good question," Geris said.

"We do not have time to speculate," Da'an said. "We have twelve hours to depose of the warlords and stop the high council."

"Then, you have to get to the ruined square," Geris said.

"But where in the hell is the ruined square?" Darius asked. "_What_ is the ruined square?"

"They must be referring to Vulaktik," Geris said. "It is a ruined city just a few miles west of the Citadel. Da'an, you have been there before. You and I hid between the ruins to pursue the rebel leaders during the civil war."

"I remember," Da'an said. "But I am still a little unclear as of how exactly to get there."

"I'll take you again," Geris said.

"No," Da'an declined. "You must remain here to keep the troops from being discovered by the warlords' men, and you know the intricacies of the Citadel better than anyone here."

"She's right, sir," one of the Jaridians agreed.

"Then, I will need a Jaridian volunteer to go with her," Geris said.

"Why should Da'an have to go?" Ar'ron asked. "It's far too dangerous. You should stay here, Da'an, and let me go in your place."

"We don't know how many people will escort Dujak to the ruins," Darius said. "This mission might be too much for two people to handle. I volunteer to go too."

"I still want to go too, Da'an," Mi'en said.

Four Jaridians and three Espelons volunteered as well.

"You all are good to do this, but I really feel I should be with you," Da'an said.

"We'll be fine," Darius said. "All we gotta do is find out who's there, what he's gonna do and shut his ass down before he does it. It's a blue milk run."

"And if something goes wrong, you could be re-captured," Ar'ron added. "We cannot afford to let that happen."

"I would feel more certain if I could be there to see what was happening," Da'an said.

"I got the answer to that," Auger said. He pulled out a small headset with a little light on the left side. "A fiber-optic camera. It's wireless and it's programmed to send a signal to my computer. Watch." He turned the camera on and put his hand in front of it. Everyone could see themselves in the laptop screen. "One of you wears this, and we'll see everything."

"All right then," Da'an said. "I will remain here, but be careful. When you see an opportunity to intercept the informant, do not hesitate to take it."

"You don't need to tell us twice, ma'am," Darius said. "We'll have that guy back here faster than Usher spends money on ice."

The aliens all gave him confused looks.

"What? My men thought it was funny. Tsk. Whatever, man."

Da'an chuckled.

"See? She got it!" Darius said.

"Uh, that's not why she was—"

"Get going," Geris interrupted before the Taelon could finish.

The new squad followed the Jaridians out of the hanger and into the carnage outside.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Obsession and Envy

"Hey, Ar'ron," an Espelon asked. "Are you doing this just to impress Da'an?"

"What are you talking about?" Ar'ron asked.

"Well, everyone knows how you feel about her. I don't really care as long as the mission gets done, but are you seriously doing this to impress Da'an?" the Espelon asked again.

"Of course not. I—Yeah. I am," Ar'ron admitted reluctantly. "I just want her to remember me…and us. I want her to remember us together so that she will understand why I love her."

"Well, good luck is all I have to say, but it'll never work," he told Ar'ron.

"What makes you think that?"

"I've seen the way she looks at Link, man. She's enamored with him."

"That is not possible. She's an Espelon and he's a human. A relationship like that will never work out. He's not worth trying for."

"No way. Da'an loves Link. She wouldn't leave him for Sha'quarava himself."

"They barely even know each other. How can she love him?"

"Well if you're so sure they're not as close as they seem, why don't you just wait for her to dump him? Why are you trying so hard to impress her now?"

"It's all about establishment. Da'an needs to remember me for who I was. Once she remembers me, separating from Link won't be a problem. We belong together. She belongs with me."

"I wonder if Quo'on was this possessive of Da'an when he had her."

"He just wanted her to bear his children. He didn't love her. This Link fellow doesn't love her either. He will never see her for the wonderful person she is. He just wants her so that he can gloat that he had relations with a Taelon. Once they've fornicated, he'll leave her. Humans only care about the physical aspect of reproduction. In order to be with a Taelon, he has to feel more than just a physical attraction. He must share a deep bond on a psychic level. Da'an and I had that. He never will."

"Okay, so you think that Link will dump her because he's a human male and human males only care about one thing—this one thing that Da'an can never give him."

"Precisely."

"And Espelons and Taelons don't? You just said yourself that Quo'on only wanted Da'an because she was young and would bear good children for him."

"Right."

"And the two literally stopped speaking to each other when they found out Zo'or was sterile, right?"

"Everyone knows that."

"So obviously, fornication is something that the Taelons and us Espelons see as a big deal in a relationship too. What makes you so special? Why can you love her in a physical and psychic level and not Link?"

"What's your point?"

"My point is that this is all about the sport of it. You want Da'an because somebody else has her. Once she leaves Link and goes with you, you'll just do the same thing to her that you're accusing Link of trying to do."

"That's not it at all, and you know it. Why would I have waited all these years for her if I did not love her?"

"Good point, but that was before you knew she'd changed so much. She's not the same person she was when you knew her, and she never will be. Once you have her, will you be able to accept those changes? Or will you dump her because she's not this perfect woman that you seem to have embedded in your mind? And if you do decide that she's not the person you once knew, and you do dump her, reality knows that you'll never find anyone even close to fitting that image. You, my friend, are pursuing a fantasy, an obsession. If you're not careful, you'll never have any mate, and you'll be alone for the rest of your life. My advice is to quit while you're ahead. Let Da'an and Link be together and find someone else. There are plenty of good mates out there for you."

"You know what, Men'ta?" Ar'ron asked sharply. "I do not need your advice, and I certainly do not need everyone else's. I have heard these same words from everyone I've spoken to. I have had just about enough of it."

"If that many people are telling you the same thing, you should listen to them."

"Now you listen to me," Ar'ron said grabbing Men'ta by his shoulder. "I will have Da'an. She belongs to me. She's always belonged to me, and as the gods are my witness, no one else will have her but me!"

Men'ta pushed Ar'ron and released himself. "Will you listen to yourself, you crazy bastard? You're obsessed. This whole thing's making you some kind of selfish jerk. Da'an doesn't want you. Get over it! Get a life."

"Is everything all right here?" Mi'en asked.

"I don't know," Men'ta said glaring at Ar'ron. "I guess we'll find out when we get back to Da'an."

The squad continued on without another word to one another through the ruins of the fallen city. The entire city was deemed a disaster area that could never be salvaged by the hierarchy. Insurgents, therefore, chose it as a camping spot to hide their numbers. Ironically this was the same reason the rebel Jaridians choose it as a place to create their network of hideouts during the civil war. The perimeter soldiers had already swept the area of insurgents on Balvak's orders. It was the main reason why they had been sent outside the Citadel. With the area cleared, it was a perfect spot for a ship to land unnoticed.

Holding true to the tapped conversation, the ship arrived right on schedule. Darius activated the camera and whispered the news of the ship's arrival.

Da'an and Auger were watching inside the hanger with Geris' troops dispersed all over the hanger to make sure no one was watching them.

It was a Jaridian fighter no bigger than a Taelon shuttle, and it landed in the ruined square of the city. Dujak had taken ten men with him and had spread them out across the square to do away with any spies. Darius told his squad to spread out and wait for his signal to ambush the guards. Then, they would take out the informant, but no one was to make one move until the informant left the ship and was in range of Dujak.

The ship's top opened and a Jaridian in black jumped out of the ship. Dujak shook hands with him.

"I can't get a good look at his face," Darius whispered.

"Neither can we," Auger said. "It's too hazy."

"I'll try to get closer," Daruis said.

"Be careful," Da'an told him.

Darius crawled past the guards and behind a fallen pole. Then, he zoomed the camera in to get a better picture.

"Can you see him now?" Darius asked.

"Is that who I think it is?" Auger asked Da'an.

Da'an silently groaned. "I knew I recognized his voice. It is Vorjak."

"Now we have to engage him," Darius said. "Just say when."

"Wait until they are about to board the land transport," Da'an said. "Tell your men to take out the guards quietly."

"Done," Darius said. He signaled for his men to attack, but not to engage Dujak or Vorjak.

"Everything is going according to plan, sir," Dujak told Vorjak.

"Not so accordingly," Vorjak said. "You have failed to recapture the soldiers. You now have less than ten hours. How are your efforts coming?"

"We have swept the south side of the Citadel," Dujak said. "We are still seriously understaffed sir."

"So are they," Vorjak said. "It is an even match. No matter. The high council has spoken to me. They want to go to the Citadel now. They believe that they cannot afford to wait. All they need is my signal."

"Please wait, sir," Dujak pleaded. "These soldiers are sly ones. It may take time but we will find them. Eventually they will have to eat and sleep. They left with no supplies. They'll return to the Citadel in twelve hours, and we will ambush them."

"Very well."

Little did they know that as they talked, the Espelons and the Jaridians had silently and swiftly knocked the guards unconscious, and the whole squad was moving in to ambush them.

"Da'an," Darius said, "the guards have been taken out. We're ready to engage the informant."

"Wait a few more seconds," Da'an said.

The soldiers got in a position to attack.

"They're almost to the land transport," Darius warned.

"Go. Now," Da'an said.

The soldiers all moved in their rifles pointed at Vorjak and Dujak. They had no choice but to surrender.

"This is Lieutenant Martin," Darius said into the communicator. "We have apprehended the suspects. We will bring them in at your discretion."

There was no response for a while, but Darius used the time to get the Jaridians to cuff Dujak and Vorjak and haul them into the transport vehicle.

"This is Geris," the communicator said. "Bring them to the first floor of the hierarchy building. One of my men will be there to take you to the room."

"Yes, sir," Darius said. "You two are coming with us."

"I should congratulate you," Vorjak said. "You must tell us how you did it."

"Unlike you, pops, I ain't dumb enough to fall for that," Darius said. "No one speaks to these men until our leaders have looked at them."

"Yes, sir," the squad said in unison.

* * *

The Jaridians were taken to a small meeting room inside the hierarchy building. Meanwhile, the soldiers were well on their way towards surrounding the remaining soldiers. The reinforcements on perimeter were on stand-by near the Citadel's borders waiting for their leader's signal.

Darius and Ar'ron stood guard at the doorway and left the Jaridians to Da'an and Geris.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance," Da'an uttered under her breath, glaring at Vorjak.

"He's not worthy of the honor of death," Geris said. "Let me do the talking for now. They will most likely try to influence you."

Geris and Da'an sat across from the two Jaridians, who were still chained.

"You are quite the little escape artist, aren't you Da'an?" Dujak chuckled slyly. "First you escape from a heavily armed Jaridian battle cruiser, and then you escape a fortified, heavily guarded, unbreakable vault. I hear on Earth they have special shows for people like you."

"Is that supposed to offend me?" Da'an asked him bluntly. "You know, for a warlord, Dujak, you certainly are not that smart. The next time you have a thought, you should just let it pass and save yourself the embarrassment."

"You certainly were not smart enough to save Lili," Vorjak sneered. "In fact, I recall that you killed her with your own friend's gun. What should we file that under? Tragic irony or poetic justice?"

"We are not here to discuss this nonsense," Geris said sharply. "Your plan has been faltered, and your forces are at a tactical disadvantage. It is time to surrender now and tell us what your mission is."

"I believe we made it quite clear that we were revising the Lillian Contract, fool," Dujak said.

"How did you escape from the prison colony?" Geris asked Vorjak, ignoring Dujak's insult. "You were court-martialed, awaiting trial for murder. You were never to be released."

"You seem to have forgotten that I once ran the government around here," Vorjak said. "You would be surprised to see how many loopholes we have created for ourselves in Jaridian law."

"I particularly like the part that says that no Jaridian leader can be held without the possibility of bail in the time between arrest and trial," Dujak said.

"There is no such law in the Jaridian axiom," Geris said.

"But there is in the military law," Vorjak said. "I was court-martialed by the Jaridian military because there was no active police force at the time of the civil war. We all were. We could have easily walked out of that prison colony without a scratch, but instead I volunteered to be the informant for my fellows. Had all the former high council members left under that mandate, we would have aroused your suspicions."

"You are a snake, Vorjak," Geris said.

"You are a pussy, Geris," Vorjak retorted. "Look how you let these Taelons manipulate you against us. You never do anything without this little bitch's approval. She is holding you back. You dishonor the Jaridian name by letting her control you and manipulate our government."

"You challenge the wisdom of your own people," Geris shot back. "You sacrificed hundreds of men in a war no one believes in anymore, you turned troops against your own fellows in the hierarchy, and you used hundreds of women in genetic experiments. You used your own wife!"

"I used what was sent to me," Vorjak said. "If anything, you should be blaming that Taelon for letting Lili come to me. I gave her everything. I treated her like a queen, and I blessed her with a child to continue her legacy. All I asked for in return was her body and her sacrifice in order to save our species. I sent her to heaven before Da'an sent her to hell. I was doing the work of the gods."

"Oh don't try it, Da'an," Dujak said before she could defend herself. "I know exactly what you are going to say. You were held by your own species under suspicions of resistance affiliations when Lili was sent to my colleague. There was nothing you could do for her. I know these things. I will not bother to tell you my sources. Tell me, did that make you feel all the more powerless when Lili returned to force you to do what you should have done to save her in the first place?"

The entire table shook.

"You never cared for Lili. All you cared about was power," Vorjak said. "You are just as ruthless as anyone in that Synod. You were incarcerated, and you lost that power. Therefore, you let Lili get sent to us as punishment. She told me, Da'an. She told me that you were on the Mothership when she tried to destroy it in such a noble act. It was the last thing she ever told me before I reformatted her body. You let my associates take her and bring her to me because you were angry with her for stripping you of your power. That is what you do. You plot and manipulate in order to strip those who stand in your way of any power they have over you. That is exactly what we do, Da'an. That is why we are so much alike. We both desire control and knowledge—knowledge to vanquish our enemies. You are a snake just like me. However, there is one big difference between you and me. I did what I did to Lili because I loved her. You did what you did to her because you wanted to punish her. You are the one who should be standing trial, Da'an! You are the one who should be awaiting execution!"

"Shut up!" Da'an cried. The large, black stainless steel table snapped in two. The pieces were cast aside like small pebbles making a loud thunder as they smashed into the walls. Da'an rose from her seat like a rising darkness and marched towards Vorjak. The chair on which she had been sitting was thrust backwards.

"Will you kill me, Da'an?" Vorjak laughed evilly. "Will you destroy me and what little chance you have of getting information from me?"

Geris was too stunned to try and stop her, but he could see her eyes as she suddenly started chuckling sadistically. They were a bright red color with no irises. The two halves of the table burst into flames along with the discarded chair. "Oh, I have no intention of killing you, Vorjak," Da'an said.

Ar'ron and Darius drew their weapons instinctually trying to figure out how to handle this. The enflamed furniture surrounded the two Jaridians like a pyre.

"What are you doing, Da'an?" Geris asked. "You can't kill them! We need them!"

"You can't do that, Da'an!" Ar'ron cried. "You are better than this. You are better than this just like me!"

The flames spun around the two like a whirlwind. The walls began to burn from the intense heat. Darius could no longer stand being so close and had to back out of the room. Dujak began trembling as the flames spun closer and closer to them. Vorjak tried to hold his own, but an inner fear began to rise from inside of him.

"What's the matter, Vorjak?" Da'an asked. "Are you, who claim no fear of hell, so afraid of its fires? Or is that some underlying guilt I sense?"

"Shut up, you manipulative bitch!" Vorjak cried. "You kill me, and you will kill my daughter's only natural parent left!"

"The courts have no intention of letting you live," Da'an said wryly. "I am merely saving them the trouble of a trial."

"You killed my wife!"

"You used her like a puppet. You won her trust, you won her love, you let her believe that her kindness and courage had taught you to hope, and you let her believe that her daughter was of worth to you," Da'an said cruelly. "I should be the one congratulating _you_, Vorjak. You have successfully turned your own cruelty into justice. If you loved her so much, why did you not use some other human female as your next specimen? Or were you so afraid that if you used another human, she would see you for what you really are? If you loved Ariel so much, why could you not accept her as your own daughter? Why were you so willing to throw her away for something better? You were never looking for a family. You were never looking for hope. You were not even looking for a solution."

"I was…looking for a solution! I almost had it too!" Vorjak cried.

Geris saw through the charade. Da'an was not on a mission to kill Vorjak. She was on a mission to scare the daylights out of him. He told Ar'ron to stay back when he tried to help Da'an. "From what I hear, the humans have successfully made a formula that enables Ariel to live on Earth without any trouble from the atmosphere," Geris said. "The Taelon energy Da'an gave her fused with her DNA, and is now affecting her metabolism. It is slowing down. It is slowing down to a human's pace. She will not die as early as the rest of us. Yet this was not good enough for you, Vorjak? Why not? Was it really because you were looking for a solution, or was it because you were looking for perfection?"

"You did not accept Ariel because of your prejudice towards Taelons," Da'an said. "You were unsatisfied with her because of the Taelon energy you tried to take from me. You were unsatisfied with Ariel because a part of a Taelon was inside of her. You were jealous, Vorjak! You were jealous that you could not save her without me!"

"No!" Vorjak cried trying to hold back the oncoming tears.

"Think about it, Vorjak!" Geris yelled. "You were jealous of Da'an, and you were angry with Lili! You were jealous that her bond with Da'an was stronger than yours would ever be. That's why you made her your guinea pig. Da'an wasn't the one out to punish her, Vorjak! _You_ were!"

"You never loved her, Vorjak!" Da'an said in a manipulative tone. "You certainly never loved her daughter!"

The flames were so close now that the two Jaridians' legs were set on fire.

"Damn you, Vorjak! End this!" Dujak pleaded struggling to free himself and put out the flames. "I will not die at the hands of a Taelon!"

"What do you want!" Vorjak cried.

"We want the suspension of the warlords' control over the Jaridian Empire!" Geris cried.

"And the complete, unconditional surrender of the warlords here," Da'an said.

"Give them what they want!" Dujak yelled.

"I…will not be intimidated by a Taelon!" Vorjak yelled. He used his sha'quarava break the cuffs holding his hands behind his back. Then, he used his strength to smash the chains holding his legs to the chair.

"Don't try it, Vorjak!" warned Dujak. "You'll never make it!"

"You stole my family and my wife from me!" Vorjak cried. "You never appreciated her! Why did she always favor you over me? You never even loved her!"

He tried to leap through the flames, but he had forgotten that they had been started by two large pieces of a stainless steel table and a black crystal chair. A piece of the table blocked his way, and the flames consumed him. Da'an immediately let the fire subside when she heard his ear-piercing, high-pitched screams. But she was too late. The charred remains of the furniture and Vorjak plummeted to the floor.

Da'an had to place her hands over her mouth to cover her own screams. Geris groaned at the ghastly sight. Ar'ron felt his strength subside and a feeling of nausea come over him as he saw the smoke rising from Vorjak's charred remains. When the heat subsided and Darius returned, his pulse dropped and his mouth dropped open.

"What the fuck happened to him?" Darius cried.

"The fool finally succumbed to his own insanity," Geris said. "He tried to leap through the wall of flames to kill Da'an."

"What do we do with this coward?" Ar'ron asked, looming over the trembling Dujak.

"He has not yet provided an answer to our demands," Geris said.

"I…I'll do whatever you say," Dujak panted. "Just do not turn me into him."

Geris and Ar'ron rushed to Da'an, who had dropped to her knees in shock of what she had done.

"I didn't mean to kill him," Da'an whimpered. "I…I grew angry, so I tried to channel my rage to scare him. I only wanted to scare him."

"He knew he was close to cracking," Geris said, "so he chose to take his own life. It was not your fault. It was his choice."

"But it's my responsibility," Da'an said.

"He was a sadist and a madman," Ar'ron said. "If your wish was to truly kill him, you would have killed both him and Dujak. But you didn't. You even tried to save him. Remember when I said you were stronger than me? This is what I meant. I couldn't control my rage. You managed to control and channel yours."

"How did you know…?" Da'an tried to ask, but her voice trailed off.

"I just knew," Ar'ron said.

"Well, I sure as hell can say one thing," Darius told Da'an. "You just saved these Jaridians some tax dollars they could've wasted on a trial."

"As for you," Geris said grabbing the still trembling Dujak. "You're coming with me to make good do on those promises you made."

He released Dujak's leg chains and dragged him out of the room. Darius followed him.

Ar'ron helped Da'an rise to her feet. "You are so much stronger than me. I have always known that. No one knows you like I do."

"Ar'ron," Da'an sighed, "please do not make this anymore difficult than it already is."

"Why can't you accept me? Why was I never good enough for you?" Ar'ron asked desperately. "You and I are two of a kind. We were destined to be together. Why can't you remember that?"

"You are chasing a dream, Ar'ron," Da'an said solemnly. "Even if I did accept you, things would never be as they once were between us. I may have loved you at a time. I honestly do not know because I cannot remember. One of these days I may even remember what we once had."

"You are every bit like the person I remember you as," Ar'ron said. "I would be good to you. I would give you a home, a life, and strong children."

"I do not desire anymore children," Da'an said. "And I am happy with the home I have made with Rembrandt."

"You barely even know him!" Ar'ron cried. "He's not good enough for you! I am just like you. I am an Espelon. We have shared the same pain, the same sorrows, the same longing for a better life. We have waited for each other. Don't we deserve to make a life together? Don't I deserve you?"

"Ar'ron, I have plenty of friends that I care deeply for—friends for whom I would give my life. Is this not good enough for you?"

"No," Ar'ron whimpered. "I want to be more than just some friend to you. I want to be your mate as I once was. I have waited hundreds of years for this day—the day we reunited. This day has come. Do not take it away from me. I cannot live without you. Everything I did in this life to survive was to get back to you."

"Was I such an influence on you?" Da'an asked sadly. "How did I place such devotion in you?"

"I have known you all your life!" Ar'ron shouted. "I gave you my heart. I gave you my soul! I gave you everything, and you throw me away for someone who is not even your species!"

"Ar'ron," Da'an said firmly and sorrowfully, "I…love…Rembrandt. Rembrandt is risking his soul and his life for me. Rembrandt has no reason to pursue me, to love me, or to care for Ariel with me. Yet he has never abandoned me. It is not love that you feel for me, Ar'ron. It is lust. You say that I am no different from who I was when you knew me. That is not true. I am much different. My fear is that once you finally come to your senses and realize these changes, you will reject me for not being the exact same person I was centuries ago. You are comparing me to a dream that I cannot fulfill for you. You must let go of your lust. You must let go of _me_. Rembrandt embraced the changes within me long before even I did. To leave him after he has given up so much for me is betraying him. I can't do that. I _won't_ do that. Please do not ask me to do this. It will only end in pain for the both of us."

"You are wrong, Da'an. There is no lust within me. There is only love."

"If you are so convinced that love is what you feel for me, then why can you not love me enough to let me go?"

Ar'ron hung his head low and tried to reflect back on everything he had done—everything he had felt. His words and his attitude echoed in his mind for several minutes. He realized that he despised this person he had become. He realized that everything Da'an and the others had told him was true. Being without Da'an for all these years had turned the love he'd had for her into lust. The revelation only made him hate himself even more. He lifted his head as if waking up from a dream…or a nightmare. "I believe…I understand now," he told Da'an solemnly. "You truly love this man. You are happy with him. I cannot make you happy anymore, and my presence hurts you."

"No Ar'ron—"

"I can see that it does. I have dishonored you. I have turned that wonderful emotion that humans revere so highly into a malicious obsession. I have dishonored the greatest emotion that a sentient species can have. I am sorry for hurting you. You are right, Da'an. I must abandon my reckless pursuit of a dream that can never be and move beyond all this. My lust makes me just like Vorjak. I pursue perfection that will never be. Well, I will not hurt you like Vorjak hurt Lili. I love you too much for that."

Ar'ron placed his hand behind Da'an's neck. She let him caress her there, but eventually she had to let him go. "Goodbye, beloved," she said sadly—almost apologetically, and she left the room.

He was alone again. He then realized that he always would be.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: For My Honor and Your Love

There was no need for a war that night. News of Vorjak's death had frightened the warlords enough to surrender. It turned out they were all talk and no walk, but then, the representatives had suspected that. With communication between the high council severed, there was nothing they could do about the unscheduled surrender until it was too late. Once Balvak was released, he sent soldiers to clean up the corruption that had allowed Vorjak to escape his cell. Soldiers kept a close eye on the high council until the negotiations back on Jaridia finished. The humans would put it on record that the Lillian Contract was formally signed and approved on August 10, 2014.

Balvak was accustomed to formalities, so he had to ask Hubble and Da'an to stay a little longer for the drafting of a new Jaridian axiom. However, the whole ordeal had tired Hubble and frustrated Da'an. The two sentiments seemed to resonate throughout the human, Espelon and Taelon ranks. They were eager to go home, and Balvak had to let them go before the situation compelled them to stay longer. Therefore, the Jardians helped prepare the masses for their long journey home.

Auger was packing in his room. He had little to pack, so he finished earlier than Da'an. He decided to check in on his new friend.

"Don't you have clothes to pack?" Da'an asked as he walked in.

"Done," Auger said lightly.

Da'an shook her head.

"What about you? You almost done?" Auger asked.

"Almost," Da'an said.

"Where's the rugrat?"

"With Ta'lay downstairs. They arrived about half an hour ago."

"I guess that means you're keeping Ariel," Auger said.

"I am still undecided on that," Da'an said. "I am going to speak with Geris when I am finished here."

Auger nodded. "You should keep the girl."

"Thank you for the suggestion."

"It wasn't a suggestion. I mean it. You need to take her. I believe now more than ever that Lili gave her to you because she cared for you. You two were closer than she and I were ever close. Ariel's even got your DNA. She only likes being with you. I think it's because you're the closest thing she has to Lili."

"I am nothing like Lili."

"I don't believe that. I see parts of you that are just like Lili."

"Like what?"

"You are both strong. You both believe firmly in doing what's best for the greater good. You both had to made sacrifices on a personal and physical level. You've both been betrayed, you've both been hurt, and you both share the same pain. I think that's why you don't want Ariel. She's Lili's daughter, and Lili was just like you. When you look at her, you see Lili, and when you see Lili, you see yourself."

"You are reading way too much into this," Da'an said. "You humans should not over-think things. It destroys brain cells and, in your species, there are not many to spare."

"Shut up," Auger shot back. "But I'm serious, Da'an. Ariel's all you've got left of Lili. If you throw her away, it's like you're throwing Lili away. I know you don't want to do that."

"Auger, I do not have time for this," Da'an said. She had a sneaking suspicion that Auger wanted Ariel to stay on Earth more for himself than for her.

"All right, but just think about it," Auger said. "The girl loves you. To her, you are her mother."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

Auger sighed and left the room.

When she was through packing, Da'an had the supplies sent down to Tay'jay's ship. She sat to take some serious time to think about what Auger had said. Instead, her thoughts somehow drifted to Ar'ron. She kept focusing on that one small memory that had returned to her. The time they spent on the cliff of the mountain. Her sentiments turned to sorrow as she recalled his words to her. She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. The whole time, she just kept focusing on that one memory.

She must have fallen asleep somehow because before she knew it, she was immersed in another part of her home world. There were two Taelons walking along a shallow creek in the woods. It stopped at a small pond hidden behind two large trees. They sat and talked for a while. Then, one of the Taelons reached in his pocket and gave the other Taelon a flower. It was slightly wilted from being hidden under his uniform, but it was still quite beautiful. It was a healthy violet with slightly bruised and bent pedals and an illuminating purple center. The stem was a rustic color like a redwood tree.

Then the Taelon began impressing his mate with stunts like trying to jump over the pond, trying to climb one of the tall trees and leap from one to the other. The other Taelon's head was shaking humorously as the Taelon in the trees tried desperately to impress his mate. That was when, as he was climbing down, he was pulled on to the bed of enormous roots.

I have never seen this side of you.

I was not smart enough to show it to you back then, but I always desired you.

You are a good person, Ar'ron. I am sorry I never realized that earlier.

With all the teasing and taunting, I doubt it was easy to do so. He placed his hand behind his mate's neck. Would you accept me if I asked you to?

Da'an blushed. Yes.

Would you remain with me for years to come?

That is hard to say.

But if you could, would you?

…Yes, I believe I would.

Will you accept me no matter what?

I do not know. Will you do the same for me?

Of course.

Then, I will.

I believe that we belong together. Do you believe this as well?

It is too early to tell.

But is there some underlying belief inside you?

Ar'ron, if we were destined to be together, then we will be. No matter what happens to us, no matter how far apart we become, and no matter whom we end up with, we will always possess some innate desire and attraction towards each other.

I know what happens with families in the Synod. They give their children to other families of diplomats in order to feed the rivalry between the Amo'qui and the Zunus'tos. But should something like that happen, you would never desire him as you would me, correct?

I have known you all my life. You saved my life, and you care so much for me. I do not believe I would ever care for any Taelon as much as I do for you.

Do you believe in that story of the two mates who remained together for all their lives and never coveted each other?

Do you believe such a thing could happen between us?

I believe that physically no. That would never happen. However, I believe that spiritually every Taelon promises their soul to one person. No matter what happens, they never let go of that one person, even if they end up with other mates.

You are quite revolutionary for your time, but I tend to believe the same thing too.

You do?

I believe it when I am with you. Why else am I so attracted to you after all the years we spent discounting each other? I must have given my soul to you.

After more moments speaking to each other and learning the other's deepest sentiments, they walked back. They both tripped on a large root accidentally and fell on top of each other. That was when their bodies joined and a white light enveloped that one small, intimate part of the forest.

Da'an awoke suddenly and felt her body fall on the bed. The memory had filled her with such bliss that she had begun to float. Suddenly, a barrage of sweet memories between the two returned to her. An entire hole in her past filled, and she had to see Ar'ron to tell him the news. She rushed out of the building as fast as she could and ran to the military barracks.

She asked a passing Taelon where Ar'ron was. He pointed her in the direction of his cot. He said that he had chosen to remain behind because there was something he had to take care of.

She ran into the large room with cot after cot arranged in two long rows. The lights were off for some reason, and she stopped when she noticed this. She walked slowly calling out for Ar'ron. An ominous feeling overcame her as she searched cot after cot on both sides of the room. She came near the end of the barrack. A blue light loomed over the next to last cot on the left row. In front of it, Da'an could see a discarded staff. It was a Pa'dar warrior's staff with a thick energy blade at the end of it. She rushed towards the blue light. That was when she saw him lying next to the black and green cot with a gaping hole in his abdomen.

"Ar'ron, no!" she cried and dropped to her knees.

He was groaning in pain as the energy was rapidly escaping his body.

"Just lie back, Ar'ron. I am going to call for help," she whimpered. She ran to the emergency communicator and called for a medical team. Then, she rushed back to Ar'ron's side. "Ar'ron, you shouldn't have done this. You didn't have to do this."

"I am sorry, beloved," he said weakly. "I have dishonored you. I have dishonored myself and I have hurt you. I do not want you to feel pain anymore. I want you to be happy."

"But you do not have to die in order for me to be happy," Da'an wept. "You have so many friends who care for you."

"I…only…care…for you."

"No! Don't you do this! Do not leave me, Ar'ron. Please stay with me," Da'an begged. "Please don't leave me. You can't do this to me! Think of your life. Think of Tay'jay."

"I will always love you," Ar'ron whispered. "I will always be with you. You were always stronger than me."

There was no last breath that she heard. There was not even a final flash of his energy. He just closed his eyes and lay his head in her arms. He had been holding her arm with his free hand. It dropped. It was the only thing that indicated to Da'an that he was truly dead.

"No, Ar'ron! You can't leave me!" Da'an whimpered hysterically on Ar'ron's chest. "You can't leave me. You can't do this to me! You can't do this to yourself. I love you."

Ta'lay and Tay'jay had been loading cargo on to the ships and preparing humans for the long trip home when they received a distress call from the Jaridian who had received Da'an's message. They ran to the barracks as quickly as they could, but all they saw was Ar'ron lying dead in Da'an's arms. She had run out of mournful cries and reduced herself to sobbing uncontrollably.

Ta'lay blushed as Ar'ron's energy passed out of Da'an's hands and into the next plane of existence. Two Jaridians, including Geris, and Darius had followed to see what the commotion was about.

Geris groaned and turned away from the weeping Da'an.

"Oh Ar'ron," Ta'lay said solemnly as the shock took away the feeling in his legs and he collapsed in the cot closest to him.

Tay'jay kicked the cot nearest him over so hard that it turned sideways. "Shit! Fuck!" He began hitting the mattress frantically. "You stupid son of a bitch! You were my best friend! Why did you do it? You stupid sha'bra, why did you do it!" Grief took away all his strength, and he could do nothing but sob intensely.

"Notify the others," Geris said to the stunned Jaridian. "A memorial service should be held."

"No!" Da'an and Tay'jay cried at the same time.

The room was stunned silent.

"We'll take care of it," Tay'jay said hoarsely. "Just…you don't have to do that."

Darius walked over to Da'an and flinched at her wince when he touched her. However, she eventually let Darius help her to her feet, and her tears stopped flowing. Ta'lay did the same for Tay'jay. On their way out, Da'an picked up the fateful staff and carried it back into the light. It was all she had left of him.

* * *

Tay'jay had to bear the burden of delivering the news of Ar'ron's suicide to the ranks. The Espelons and the Taelons decided not to speak until they left Jaridia. Ar'ron's uniform and his best staff were burned. The ashes would be scattered into space where the memorial service would be held. It was a difficult decision, but only the Espelons were asked to attend the service. They had known Ar'ron the longest. They had been closest to him. His loss hit them all as hard as it had hit Da'an and Tay'jay.

Geris met Da'an outside the ship where the last leg of humans were being boarded and giving her their condolences as they passed. He was holding Ariel…in order to say goodbye to her.

"I'm glad you decided to take her with you," Geris said. "You are making the right decision. She belongs with you."

"I have decided that it is time I stopped abandoning the people I love," Da'an said grimly. "I have seen what happens when I do."

"Ar'ron loved you," Geris said. "He was a good person."

"He did not deserve to die."

"In the end, Ar'ron loved you enough to let you go. He loved you enough to let you be happy," Geris said. "And while we may not agree with his method, we have to salute and admire his motive."

"It's not enough," Da'an said looking up at the black night sky. "I hate this place. It brings out the worst in people. It brought out the worst in me, Vorjak, Ar'ron…Lili. This place is cursed. It's just as cursed as both of our godforsaken species. I hate the Jaridians for starting this madness. I hate Vorjak and the high council for turning this place into a wasteland, I hate the Taelon-Jaridian War that embittered them in the first place, I hate Lili for falling in love with Vorjak and asking me to come here, I hate Hubble for forcing me, and…I hate myself for letting him. I just hate being a part of this whole vicious cycle. I wouldn't wish this place on my worst enemies. I could never subject Ariel to this torment."

"There are a thousand Jaridians out there who would rightfully agree with you, and a million more Taelons and Jaridians within both of our empires who would see this place just as dead as Taelon for that reason," Geris said. He gently pulled Da'an on the ground to sit with him. "I have only ten to twelve years left to live in this body. The Jaridian lifespan is limited to forty years, and most Jaridians do not even live that long. I am only twenty-seven. I am lucky that my wife is pregnant now. We may yet have a child to carry on our legacy. That is why I sent her to the hidden military colony: to keep her and our child safe. Most Jaridians do not wait as long as we did. Jaridian females are impregnated as early as the age of ten. However, getting pregnant early is no guarantee of successfully birthing a child. Therefore, while I do not condone or respect Vorjak's methods in any way, shape, or form, I understand his motive. Such little time leaves me wondering why we even bother. What can we do with our lives that will allow us to be remembered when we have such small time to do so? It is the flame that burns our passion.

"However, the opposite problem seems to be occurring with the Taelons. You have too much time to live. You get to watch the world grow old and live through the same endless nightmare of a war. I could understand the gradual loss of feeling, the eventual dullness towards it all, the loss of the will to reproduce."

"The loss of the will to live."

"The Taelons and the Jaridians are polar opposites that are exactly the same. We, who come from entirely different backgrounds, share the same pain and the same sorrow. We share the same dilemma, and it makes us hate each other. We hate each other for being so similar and so different at the same time."

"That is how you know that this war will never end. It will go on and on and on until there is no one left. This contract means nothing. It is just another promise that will never be kept. A conflict to end all conflicts is coming. We cannot escape it, and we will drag humanity—the most innocent of species—down with us in that rut of eternal shame."

"But I believe that we will carry on. I believe in the words of that contract. I believe that this is a vital step on the path towards peace. It symbolizes a time when a group of Jaridians and Taelons finally said 'No more,' set aside their differences, and let those similarities I just described guide them to a path to end this madness. And if what you say is true and the conflict to end all conflicts comes, at least one small part of both our species will be admired for the one day they decided to do something about it. They will admire the motive, not the result. That is how people like Ar'ron must be remembered. They should not be remembered for the result. They should be remembered for the motive. It was a motive steamed by passion and a desire to end suffering. That should be an encouraging memory."

"Thank you for that, Geris."

"It has been a privilege working with you, Da'an."

"Same to you. Tell Balvak I said so."

"Da'an," Mi'en called. "We are ready for take-off."

"I will hopefully see you soon," Geris said to Da'an. "Be safe and work towards that better peace no matter how bleak the future seems. It is all we have to live for. It is all we can do with the time given to us."

Da'an nodded and took Ariel. "Come on, Ariel. Let's go home."

* * *

On the way back, Da'an entered Tay'jay's quarters. It was after the memorial service, and she could tell he had been crying again.

"I'm sorry Tay'jay. I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Tay'jay said lowly. "He had been depressed for a long time. I just…never thought he would actually—I don't know what I thought."

Da'an sat next to him and held him close.

"He was my best friend. I'd known him since I was a little kid. We knew each other our whole lives. We'd motivate each other by competing together. We tried to turn everything into a rivalry just to make life interesting and exciting. I guess that's what you have to do when you spend your life on the run for hundreds of years. I guess the routine finally got old for him."

"Ar'ron's suicide had nothing to do with you."

"Then, why couldn't I have stopped him? I just feel like if I had been there just a few minutes earlier. If I had stayed with him instead of leaving him to pile everyone onto the ship…he'd still be here."

"We both feel that way."

"You shouldn't have had to watch him die. He wouldn't have wanted that."

Da'an nodded and hung her head low. "My memories came back," she whimpered. "I remembered when I first fell for him. I truly was in love with him and he truly loved me. My memories returned to me, and nothing good came from it."

"Did you tell him that you loved him?" Tay'jay asked.

Da'an nodded sadly.

"That's all he needed to hear. At least he got to go happy, not alone like how he wanted to."

"Do you blame me?"

"I have lived too long to blame people anymore for what happened in the past. I'm done with that sha'bra. You are going to make Link a happy man, and you're going to make a great mom for Ariel. Ar'ron realized that, and just wanted to make you happy. He didn't want to hold you back from that dream anymore. He still could've been a part of it. I wish so much that he could've been, but at least some good's gonna come out of his death."

"It is an ironic good."

"It's the only good a situation like this can provide. Just take it."

Da'an smiled. "I am glad you are still with me brother Tay'jay."

"I'm glad I have you with me again, sister Da'an," Tay'jay said hugging her closely. "I'll get over it. We both will."

"It heals," Da'an agreed. "It never really goes away, but it heals. I know that from experience."

"So do I."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: I'm Happiest When I'm With You

The ships returned to Earth in the quiet of the night in a large military fort in Texas. It was the safest place they could land without detection from the Synod or the priests. From there, they made the portal back to DC in groups. Street leapt into Auger's arms when he came back. Renee and Liam hugged Da'an and Auger. Da'an took Ariel back to Link's apartment. They were both exhausted from the journey, but their spirits returned to them when they saw Link.

"Go on," Da'an said to Ariel. "Go to Link."

She pushed Ariel towards the couch. Ariel walked right into a stunned Link's arms.

"She's walking?" he cried. "When did this happen?"

"While we were away," Da'an said smiling.

"Oh, man. I can't believe I missed it," he said. "I've always wanted to see an infant's first step. It must've been awesome."

"Actually, it felt just as wonderful as it did to you when you saw her walk to you," Da'an said. "You did not miss a thing."

"Thanks," Link said kissing her and Ariel. "The little hobbit's growing fast."

Da'an chuckled.

"So…I heard it sucked," Link said putting Ariel on the couch.

"Oh, Rembrandt it was awful," Da'an said. "I never want to go back there again."

"The feeling's mutual," Link said. "I spent four hours testifying to these asshole lawyers representing the plaintiffs. The bastards had me feeling like I was selling my soul to big business. I don't think I've ever felt like that much of the bad guy since I was in Iraq. Then, we got to round two. Another three hours later, the lawyers used my evidence to make those plaintiffs look like con artists. They settled when they saw that that kind of muckraking was gonna keep going on for months. Then, I got to go home."

"How long did it take?"

"Too freakin' long," Link said. "But I guess you can relate."

"Oh yes."

"Well, I figured you could use some cheerin' up, so Liam and I put our heads together and whipped up a little surprise for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but you and the hobbit gotta close your eyes."

Link picked up Ariel and helped Da'an rise from the couch. With their eyes closed, Link led them into the bedroom.

"Can I open them?" Da'an asked when Link left her and Ariel.

"Not yet," Link said turning on the lights. "All right…now you can open them."

When Da'an opened her eyes, she saw the simplest and yet the most perfect surprise. Inside the room, next to the window was her small white tree that had decorated her office in the embassy.

"Oh Link," Da'an said in a flattered tone. "How did you get it?"

"Yeah, apparently T'than's comfortable enough in your seat to believe he's gonna be there for a long time, so he's throwin' out all your stuff. Liam saved your tree before it got stuck on the goodwill truck."

"He's giving my possessions to goodwill?" Da'an exclaimed angrily.

"I'm joking," Link said. "Zo'or gave him the green light, so T'than's having it all sent to the Mothership. But still, Liam and I saved the tree."

The tree fascinated Ariel. She ran to play with the ornaments hanging from its branches.

"Rembrandt," Da'an said kissing him, "this is best thing you have ever done for me."

"Really? Gee you're easy," Link said humorously. "I sure hope you're still like this when our anniversary comes up."

Da'an laughed and kissed him again. "I am glad that I have you, Rembrandt. Tay'jay and Ar'ron were right. I am happiest when I'm with you."

"I hope it stays that way," Link said.

They sat on the bed together and just stared at the little girl playing with the tree.

"You know, this tree was a gift to me from my grandparent," Da'an said. "He gave it to me in celebration of my joining the Synod. It's actually a funny story."

"Tell me about it. I could use a good story."

Ariel heard Link's words and rushed to get in bed with them. Apparently she was up for a good story too.

Da'an laughed. "Well, it happened when I was in my late forties or early fifties. We Taelons do not really keep track of our ages once we mature into adults. We were celebrating my induction in a close-knit party with some fellow diplomats when I spotted the tree. I had always had a fascination with that tree. The rumor was it was as old as Ka'li. Well, we were exchanging gifts. They were not material gifts typical to the ones you would find on Earth. They were simple things like flowers, little trinkets or even advice written on fine materials."

"Kinda like cards."

"A little, but less cliché. Well, anyway, I get to Ka'li, and he suddenly realizes he's forgotten to get me a gift. He looks around for something to give me and he saw me staring at the tree. He asks me, 'Do you like that tree?' I said, 'Yes. I find it interesting.' He said, 'Excellent. It's yours.' And he took the tree from where it stood and handed it to me. He told me, 'The Commonality willing you will get to live as old as it has.'"

Link laughed. "I get it. You're never gonna live to be as old as that tree because as you get older, so will it."

"Exactly," Da'an said, laughing with him, "but it was sweet of him to give it to me. He always liked that tree."

"You're probably the only person he'd do that for too," Link said.

"Actually, he never did do that for anyone else," Da'an with an as-a-matter-of-fact tone. "Quo'on joined the Synod a few years later, and Ka'li openly admitted that he forgot to bring a gift and left the party."

"Oh, that's harsh man. That is harsh," Link said.

They both laughed. They continued to regale each other with humorous stories. They made a competition out of it: who could tell the funniest story? It was the best kind of peace their situation could provide.

The End


End file.
